Costa Rica Moves Toward Invasion of US
bob scheetz posts: sometimes [jonathan] swift is the only tonic.
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The Waldman Political Report
Costa Rica Moves Toward Invasion of U.S.
2002-09-12
September 15, 2002 - San Jose, Costa Rica. The government of Costa Rica is
beginning preparations for a possible invasion of the United States, Costa
Rican officials have said.
In a speech to a group of business leaders in San Jose on Thursday, Costa
Rican Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar said that the government of George W. Bush
constitutes a "continuing threat that will only worsen," making military
action a requirement. "It is better to act now than to wait until bombs are raining
down on San Jose," he said.
"Costa Rica has a stronger democracy than any other country in Latin
America," said Tovar. "As such, we realize the threat we pose to the Bush regime. For
all we know, they could attack at any moment."
Tovar and Costa Rican president Abel Pacheco have been working to convince
their country that they ignore the danger at their peril. "George W. Bush has
massive stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and
biological,"Pacheco said in a recent speech. "Nothing he has done indicates he would
have the slightest hesitation to use them against his neighbors." Pacheco cited
the numerous instances in which the U.S. government has initiated overt or
covert military action against its neighbors, listing Panama, Grenada, and
Nicaragua, among others.
Costa Rica also announced it would seek a U.N. resolution officially
identifying the U.S. under Bush as a "rogue state," given its support for military
dictatorships, its role as the world's leading arms trader, and Bush's
recently announced doctrine of "preemption," under which the U.S. will attack any
nation with whom it has a disagreement. While acknowledging that the U.S. would
inevitably use its Security Council veto to scuttle such a move, a foreign
ministry spokesperson said it was important to have the nations of the world
on record in support of Costa Rica before any military action is taken.
Nonetheless, Pacheco has said that if the decision is made to invade the
United States, Costa Rica would proceed with or without the support of its allies
and the world community.
The Costa Rican president also cited recent domestic moves by the Bush
administration and Bush's human rights record as causes for concern. "Bush
executed more prisoners than any governor in modern U.S. history, and has
clamped down on human rights since he assumed the presidency. While the
United States has a proud tradition of democracy, Bush's eagerness to undermine
constitutional protections and the separation of powers makes us nervous,"
said Pacheco. "Once he has concentrated all power in the executive branch, who
knows what he'll do."
Costa Rican television stations have been contributing to preparations for
war by repeatedly showing a clip in which Bush is seen standing on a balcony
firing a rifle into the air. Although the clip is nearly two decades old, it airs
as many as twenty times a day on state television, enhancing the image of Bush
as a belligerent war monger preparing to do harm to Costa Rica. Costa Rican news
magazine covers have also featured Bush in menacing close-ups, under titles
such as "War - Before It's Too Late?" and "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bush?"
Nonetheless, Costa Ricans are far from unified on the need to invade the
United States. "We all know that Bush is a brutal dictator," said Sonia Picado,
leader of the opposition National Liberation Party (PLN). "But how many Costa
Ricans need to die to get rid of this one man? Unless he makes an explicit move
against us, it's better to use international pressure to keep him in his box."
Picado questioned the rationale for moving against Bush now. "One thing we know
about Bush, he values his own power above all else. So why would he risk it by
attacking Costa Rica? And why is the threat suddenly greater than it was six
months ago, or a year or two years?"
Picado also raised the possibility of the tens of thousands of inevitable
American casualties that would result from an invasion to depose Bush, but
added, "To be honest, that argument doesn't mean very much here. Costa
Ricans don't particularly care how many civilians get killed in a military action
we undertake, particularly if they speak a different language than we do."
The outcome of the debate between Picado's PLN and Pacheco's Social
Christian Unity Part (PUSC) could determine whether the western hemisphere is engulfed
in war. PLN officials have charged that Pacheco is ratcheting up the war
rhetoric to boost his sagging poll numbers as parliamentary elections approach,
something Pacheco's aides vigorously deny. "The president doesn't use polls to make
his decisions," said political advisor Carlo Rovero, under whose direction the
PUSC has spent over a million dollars on polls this year. "Anyone who would dare
even imply such a thing must really hate his country."
For now, the Costa Rican government is continuing to plan for a move on
Washington, which some say could come by year's end.
Copyright 2002 The Waldman Political Report
