The U.S. Military Moves Into Costa Rica

The U.S. Military Moves Into Costa Rica
By Mark Vorpahl
Sunday, July 18, 2010

Nestled between Panama to its south and Nicaragua to its north, Costa Rica is a Central American nation roughly the size of Rhode Island.

If another nation were to send Rhode Island a force of 7,000 troops, 200 helicopters, and 46 warships in an effort to eradicate drug trafficking, it is doubtful that the residents of Rhode Island would consider this offer "on-the-level." Such a massive military force could hardly be efficiently used to combat drug cartels. The only logical conclusion is that the nation whose troops now are occupying this other country had another agenda in mind that it didn't want to share.

In early July, by a vote of 31 to 8, the Costa Rican Congress approved the U.S. bringing into their nation the same military force described above, justified with the same dubious "war on drugs" rationale. According to the agreement, the military forces are supposed to leave Costa Rica by the end of 2010. This begs the question, however, if such an over the top display of military muscle is needed now to combat the drug cartels, what will be done in the next few months to make their presence unnecessary? The history of such U.S. military deployments around the world suggests a more credible outcome than what the agreement states. Once the U.S. moves such massive forces into a country, they rarely move them out.

When push comes to shove, the political machinery in Costa Rica is subservient to U.S. government and corporate interests. Nevertheless, there are many in Costa Rica who are declaring that the agreement is a violation of their national sovereignty and is unconstitutional. (In 1948 Costa Rica abolished its army, which was sanctioned in its constitution.) Legislator Luis Fishman has vowed to challenge the decision of the Congress in the courts.

Shifting Strategy and Tactics

The buildup of U.S. armed forces in Costa Rica is part of an escalating pattern that indicates a shifting of strategy and tactics for the U.S. in controlling what the Monroe Doctrine infamously described as the U.S.'s "backyard" — that is, all of Latin America. Since the U.S. government inspired covert coup d’etats and political reversals of popular governments and/or movements in Guatemala, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, and El Salvador in previous decades, U.S. rulers had figured they had things stitched up to their liking in Latin America. The political elites in Latin America were uniformly in the pockets of the U.S. corporate empire and appeared to be more or less in control of their people. They commonly outlawed strikes and at times even trade unions, eliminated minimum wage laws, and gave enormous tax breaks to U.S. corporations.

More:
http://www.zcommunications.org/the-u-s-military-moves-into-costa-rica-by-mark-vorpahl

what about the U.S. Congress? Was it involved, for approval? What about notification? Hearings? Was there an announcement to anyone inside this country? To Congress? To the press?

Or is it none of our business? :shrug:

When the US resonctituted the Fourth Fleet a few months ago the handwriting was on the wall. First, Honduras, nest Nicaragua and from there on to Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and so it goes, the wars of upcoming liberation and democracy.

way.

Most interestingly was the way the Bushies and assorted Corporo-fascists applied the things they had learned crushing people and popular governments in Central & South America in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, were so deftly used to crush the American people and American Popular government.

It's all over but the shouting up here. Down there, well it looks like the 50s are starting all over again.