Traveling Below the Border

Costa Rica, Ecotourism, and Politics

Volcano Arenal, Cost Rica, photo by Arturo Sotillo

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" in which we could 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 up 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 who is fighting to overthrow the corrupt regime and replace it with democracy.

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 refugees from Latin America at our southern border seeking shelter 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 the most peaceful and politically stable nations 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.

Have you traveled to this part of the world? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.