Has Costa Rica
Rolled Over To
The US?
By John Holtz*
With the
massive amount
of US military
on the way to
Costa Rica, has
our country
rolled over and
now admitted
that it has lost
control of the
trafficking of
drugs, money
laundering and
crime in
general?
Ever since I can
remember Costa
Rica has said,
“If ever
invaded, it´s
neighbors would
come to its
rescue.”
In times past
that referred to
Venezuela, but
now we have
Chavez and….well
that´s another
100 pesos.
The new friendly
neighbor must be
the United
States who is
sending 46 war
ships, 200
helicopters and
7,000 Marines to
rescue us from
invading drug
cartels,
smugglers, gangs
and God only
knows what all
because the
“mission” has
not really been
clearly defined.
If there is a
mission, it has
not been made
public, or the
deployment
strategy.
For all those
promises of
transparency by
our government,
once again we
are living in an
opaque world and
can only make
wild assumptions
that for sure
are going to get
bigger and more
bizarre.
(I wonder what
Nobel Peace
Laureate, Oscar
Arias thinks of
all this? We
will soon know.)
For the last
several days the
Minister of
Security, Jose
Maria Tijerino,
the anti-drug
commissioner ,
Mauricio
Boraschi and of
course
Presidenta,
Laura Chinchilla
have been doing
a lot of tap
dancing to
explain this
extraordinary,
desperate last
resort type
measure.
And before the
Marines buy out
all the condoms
of the world
after being told
prostitution is
legal in Costa
Rica, I assure
you a bunch of
legal challenges
before this will
ever comes to
fruition.
Although, in
1999 then
President, now
on trial for
corruption,
Miguel Angel
Rodriguez signed
into law a
“Joint Patrol”
agreement with
the United
States to crack
down on drug
trafficking as
well as money
laundering.
(Why a “Joint
Patrol”, Didn´t
anyone in 1999
know what a
joint is? There
must be a better
name than
“operation
Joint” as they
probably call it
back at
Langley.)
What makes this
so unique is
that the “Joint
Patrol” is a US
Coast Guard
operation and
every US vessel
would have a
Costa Rica
“shiprider” who
would authorize
or not authorize
actions to be
taken or not
taken in Costa
Rica territorial
waters.
From a practical
point of view, I
have a hard time
visualizing our
police force
leading 7,000 on
the ground US
Marines, less
the helicopters
and warships.
Especially if
you consider
these men and
women of Fuerza
Pública refuse
to go into
certain parts of
San José for
fear of their
lives. (Maybe
the US can send
in drones like
in Afghanistan
and eliminate
those bad guys?)
So, let´s step
up and be
honest. The
Gringos are
going to run
this show. It is
in our blood.
Promises have
also been made
that the US
military people
will do
humanitarian
work as well as
get the cartel
traffickers.
What that means?
Again, I have no
idea. (Teach us
the secret
recipe of Sloppy
Joe sandwiches
because Habitat
for Humanity is
building homes
and the Peace
Corps teaching
basketball?)
For years, at
least since the
Sandinistas came
into power in
Nicaragua, the
US has wanted a
military base in
Costa Rica
and……Wow? Merry
Christmas!
From the
public´s point
of view this is
all very sudden
and smacks of
back room
politics.
It also smacks
of our leaders
losing faith in
our security
people; in our
judicial system,
the 21 police
agencies, the
department of
immigration and
indeed the
question is how
high and how
deep the
corruption goes?
That´s what
needs an
overhaul and not
bringing in
foreign military
to save us from
us.
When a leader of
a country calls
in outside
forces and no
matter how it is
verbalized and
those forces,
big or small,
are given the
ability to
infringe on the
rights of
sovereignty; it
leaves little
faith in the
leaders and
indeed the
constitution
itself.
Costa Rica was
warned, by its
own people, for
years and years
that crime on
every level has
been growing,
growing and
growing more. I
want to know why
only now does
the legislature
go from self
rule to inviting
the US military
to make wrongs,
right? (The US
Coast Guard is
military, make
no mistake about
it.)
As one writer
said, “Costa
Rica has always
and smugly
advertised no
army, a country
of peace, the
Switzerland of
Central America,
but obviously it
is all too
willing to rent
an army when in
need.”
Keep tuned! We
have only read
chapter one of
this book.
As the drama
unfolds we will
find out why the
Congolese pseudo
diplomat from
Mexico brought
$3 million into
Costa, why he
came 5 times for
less than 24
hours, why we
have hidden
helicopter pads
in the
mountains, who
is stealing not
the drugs but
the money, how
the dollars are
being
laundered…..who
in this soap
opera is guilty
of corruption
against the
Republic and
much more.
Will the Marines
win the day and
bring peace,
tranquility and
virtue to us? Or
will they take
us over and
build a base
that can defend
Central America
from yet to be
identified
enemies?
This is not good
for tourism! Not
at all. And not
good for foreign
investments.
Just ask Mexico.
While CR is
ranked by Gallup
as number 5 of
the “happiest
countries” in
the world. Here
come the Marines
to make us more
happy.
*John Holtz is the Executive Director of
the Center for
the Studies of
Modern
Management
www.modernmanagement.org and can
be reached at:
jrh@modernmanagement.org.
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