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Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Background and U.S. Relations

Posted Mon, 02/22/2010 - 00:00

Costa Rica is a politically stable Central American nation with a relatively well-developed economy. Former president (1986-1990) and Nobel-laureate Oscar Arias of the historically center-left National Liberation Party was elected President in 2006. Throughout his term, Arias has advanced so-called "third-way" policies, embracing his party's traditional support for social welfare programs while rejecting state-led development in favor of market-oriented economic policies.

Honduran-U.S. Relations

Posted Tue, 08/04/2009 - 00:00

On June 28, 2009, the Honduran military detained President Manuel Zelaya and flew him to exile in Costa Rica, ending 27 years of uninterrupted elected civilian democratic rule. The move was backed by the Honduran Supreme Court and National Congress, which selected Roberto Micheletti, the head of Congress, to fulfill the rest of Zelayas term. Zelayas removal was brought on by the ousted presidents insistence in pushing ahead with a referendum that was ruled illegal and eventually could have led to changes to the Honduran constitution.

Costa Rica: Background and U.S. Relations

Posted Tue, 06/02/2009 - 00:00

Costa Rica is a relatively politically stable and economically developed nation with a long tradition of civilian democracy. Former president (1986-1990) and Nobel-laureate Oscar Arias of the National Liberation Party was elected President in 2006. Throughout his term, Arias has focused on expanding the countrys social safety net and increasing free trade. He faced strong opposition to the countrys inclusion in the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), but eventually secured its ratification and implementation.