Tags
Central America, Costa Rica, democracy, immigration, Politics, tourism, travel, US foreign policy
I’ll be traveling to Costa Rica tomorrow to spend two weeks exploring one of the most beautiful and biodiverse countries in the world. As well as the most stable democratic nation in Central America. I’ll also be doing research for a novel I’ve been writing about Central America in the turbulent 70s, when so many people were rising up to overthrow corrupt dictators propped up by the US.
What we see at the US southern border these days is so sad and disheartening. I fear it is the result of failed US foreign policy over the past two centuries in that part of the world, starting with the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. Originally the policy was meant to stop further European colonization in the region. But eventually it led to treating our southern neighbors as “our backyard” to wield our power and influence and enrich our corporate interests at the expense of the people living there. Again and again we intervened in internal politics, propping us corrupt dictators who would allow us to syphon off the natural wealth and resources of those countries. We used our military to protect those dictators, who treated their own people as vassals to feed their greed and ambition.
It’s no wonder the people who rose up to fight against these dictators saw Capitalism as a great evil, since it served only the interests of the wealthy; and saw Communism, that promised to serve all the people, as a beacon of hope. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Communism they thought would help them was just another way to serve a different elite, the Party Leaders, who syphoned off the wealth for themselves, just as the Capitalists and Dictators had done.
It’s no wonder that over the decades a culture of authoritarianism and strong-arm tactics would lead to the rise of Cartels, and lead to people fleeing for their lives to what is seen as the promised land of freedom and opportunity in the North.
I write about some of this in my novel This Sea Within. Set in the 70s, it’s about a young idealistic woman from California who travels to a fictional country in Central America and falls in love with the rebel leader with his dream of democracy as he fights to overthrow the corrupt regime.
I can’t help wondering what Latin America would be like today if our foreign policy back then was more like it is today–to nurture and defend democracies around the world. If instead of treating our neighboring countries as “our backyard”–a rich, undeveloped resource to exploit, we had treated them as true neighbors in the pioneering spirit, helping them to prosper and grow, I doubt we’d be seeing the flood of immigrants at our southern border seeking refuge and a better life.
Perhaps we deserve this. Perhaps we’re reaping what was sown. Hopefully our new foreign policy with its emphasis on protecting democracy and human rights will eventually help people in those regions find the kind of stability and safety they need to remain where they are and prosper.
Costa Rica is one of the few countries below our border that managed to create and sustain a democracy during all those troubling times. Today it’s one the most peaceful and politically stable nation in the region. Eco-tourism is the fastest growing segment of its economy. I like to think the dollars I spend there will contribute to keeping this democracy stable and prosperous, as well as provide funds for continued ecological conservation. I’ll be back in two weeks with tons of photos (I hope) to share with you of this beautiful, richly biodiverse, country.
Steve Schwartzman said:
Human nature being human nature—for better and too often for worse—when we look at history we find many examples of groups that claimed to be doing away with dictatorships, only to then institute new dictatorships that were often more repressive than the ones they overthrew. As you alluded to, life in Russia under the tsar was terrible for most Russians; life under communism was even worse, with many millions dying. In fact my father and his family came to America in the 1920s to escape the double scourge of antisemitism and communism they experienced in those successive dictatorships.
In the late 1960s I spent two years as a Peace Corps math teacher in Honduras, whose huge banana plantations run by United Fruit and Standard Fruit along the country’s Caribbean coast gave us the term “banana republic.” No question the United States propped up the government there, the intention being to head off what had happened in Cuba, where life under Castro became more repressive than it had been under Batista.
It’s still not clear to me why Costa Rica developed differently from its neighbors. If you gain insights into that from your visit, please let us know. ¡Buen viaje!
deborahbrasket said:
I’d like to think we are learning from our mistakes, nurturing democracies instead of catering to dictators, but authoritarianism seems to be on the rise the world, and even our own democracy is being threatened from within. I’m going to try to put politics aside when I visit Costa Rica and just soak up all the beauty and nature. But it would be interesting to know how Costa Rica has been able to succeed as a democracy while others failed. From what I’ve read so far, it just seems as if the colonists skipped over Costa Rica because it was a poor agrarian society, but so was the whole isthmus at one time, so that doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe I’ll find out more there.
Writing to Freedom said:
Enjoy your trip Deborah. I’ve heard great things about Costa Rica and may visit myself this year. Yes, sadly, our foreign policy continues to be a mess, based too much on wielding power in the name of democracy, but really in the service of power, war, resources, and money.
deborahbrasket said:
Thanks, Brad You are so right about that.
laura bruno lilly said:
Oh, the best form of research: On site! I’m thrilled for you, Deborah and look forward to all those insights, photos and snippets of writing you’ll be posting when you get back. Meanwhile, enjoy the ride!
deborahbrasket said:
Thanks so much Laura. Yes, travel is the best kind of research!
christinenovalarue said:
🩵💚