Costa Rica’s President Óscar Arias – International mediator for peace and democracy

Costa Rican President Óscar Arias, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for helping to negotiate an end to Central America’s wars during the 1980s. Dr. Arias holds international stature as a spokesperson for the Third World as he strives to promote human development, peace and demilitarization.

In 2007, along with Panama’s President Martín Torrijos, Arias attended a celebration in Costa Rica of the twentieth anniversary of the Esquipulas II Accords, which led to peace in Central America.

At that conference, Arias warned that peace and democracy in Latin America were being threatened by the “ghosts of populism and authoritarianism.” His statements have been interpreted to reflect his outspoken feelings toward Hugo Chávez and his oil-funded meddling and leftist political endorsements in countries as far south as Peru all the way up to Mexico.

President Arias felt leftist leader’s heavy hands during the anti-CAFTA, USA – Costa Rica trade agreement campaign, which was marked by violence and intimidation due to its behind the scenes promoters: Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez.

If CAFTA were defeated it would have been a victory for Chávez, who continues to create problems between Latin America and the U.S. in order to help his authoritarian friends, Iran and China put down roots in the America’s. Chávez’ anti-CAFTA campaign was part of his broader effort to harm the United States and increase his own political power in the region, via his “ALBA” socialist trade scheme, a Latin American version of the Soviet-era Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) that the Soviet Union used to control its Eastern European satellites.

Left wing political parties are dangerous in poor countries that are susceptible to obscure social programs, offering financial aid in exchange for political votes. Several years ago, Honduras began receiving low cost fuel from Venezuela as its then President Manuel Zelaya joined the Chavez-led Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our Americas, (ALBA).

Chávez has been promoting his infrastructure of socialist dissent and has funded hard-left movements all over the America’s as he has taken Fidel Castro’s place as the new leader of socialism in the America’s.

Recently, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Costa Rican President Óscar Arias would mediate to find a solution to the coup of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, Chavez’s power was threatened. It’s obvious he feels threatened; he recently stated that he blamed “the Yankee empire but not Obama for the overthrow in Honduras.”

Furthermore, he said “I am not saying that the new Honduran government has the support of Obama, but I believe Obama is more like a prisoner of the empire and the empire has a great deal to do with the situation in Honduras.” However, the fall of oil prices has limited Chávez’s ability to influence his allies at home and abroad. His popularity has been declining as some of his leftist friends in Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Argentina, Honduras and Nicaragua have been suffering from political and economic troubles as well.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega recently stated “the empire of the United States and capitalism are diseases preying on humanity, and we are their victims… Who can judge who are terrorists and who are not? “We can” said Ortega, “the Yankees’ are the terrorists.”

Ortega and his Sandinista regime once in power after the 2006 Nicaraguan election, announced a series of policies and programs that seemed to reflect back to the old Sandinista years: Educational matriculation fees were abolished; an illiteracy program was launched with Cuban assistance, and an innovative Zero Hunger program, financed from the public budget and Venezuelan aid.

Internationally, Ortega led Nicaragua to join Chávez’s Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the trade and economic cooperation pact that includes Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela. Additionally, Ortega, by presidential decree, established Councils of Citizen Power under the control of the Sandinista party to administer and distribute much of the social spending.

At the same time, under the rubric of ALBA, Ortega signed an accord with Venezuela that provides an estimated $300 million to $500 million in funds personally administered by Ortega with no public accountability.

Lately, Chávez and his ally’s have been nervously outspoken, because if the coup in Honduras against their buddie Manuel Zelaya prevails, the public perception in Central America and beyond could overwhelm the leftists, who are now feeling the force of the public reaction to their authoritarian methods of governing.

This could also empower countries ruled by socialistic governments to stop their hard fisted rulers the next time they try to change their constitutional laws.

Remember, socialistic politicians promote the expropriation of private capital and the nationalization of industry. Socialism, like Ponzi schemes, eventually runs out of other people’s money.

Written by Tom Rosenberger. With more than 25 years of homebuilding experience, 15 of which have been in Costa Rica, construction consultant Tom Rosenberger knows the ins and outs of building and remodeling a home in the Central Valley area of Costa Rica.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.