Costa Rica: Background and U.S. Relations

Abstract

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 country's social safety net and increasing free trade. He faced strong opposition to the country's inclusion in the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), but eventually secured its ratification and implementation. Arias has also been active in foreign affairs, establishing diplomatic relations with China and Cuba after decades without formal ties.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 02, 2009
Accession Number
ADA501023

Entities

People

  • Peter J. Meyer

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Central America
  • Commerce
  • Costa Rica
  • Databases
  • Dominican Republic
  • Education
  • Environmental Protection
  • Government Procurement
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Military Education
  • National Security
  • Renewable Energy
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Southern Command

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

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