On December 1, 1948, the Costa Rican president José Figueres abolished the army, transforming the country into a neutral state. There are 21 countries in the world that do not have an army. In the case of Costa Rica, this fact dates back to a civil war that lasted 44 days and ended with the abolition of the Costa Rican army on December 1, 1948.
And the occasion turned into a milestone, as President José Figueres struck one of the towers of the Bellavista Barracks with a mallet to symbolize the dissolution. However, under this ideal, several doubts arise; is it perhaps a utopia? or abolishing the army creates a tactical disadvantage compared to other countries.
Why doesn’t Costa Rica have an army?
After the results of the 1948 presidential elections, which pitted candidates Rafael Calderón Guardia and Otilio Ulate against each other, chaos engulfed the country. And in the midst of the civil war, José Figueres assumed the interim presidency. At that instance, “Don Pepe,” as he was known, abolished the army as a “permanent institution,” details the 1949 Constitution.
An effort that determined that military tasks be assigned to the Public Force, the name by which the Costa Rican police is known. Likewise, the members of the Public Force hold the rank of civilian. In contrast, in other regions, the armed forces answer to a judicial body, independent of civil power. Also with this change, the Ministry of Public Security ensures drug control and coastal and border patrols.
Who defends Costa Rica in case of war?
Demilitarization led the country to choose peace and dialogue. In that sense, Álvaro Ramos, former Minister of the Interior, emphasized that “Costa Rica assured that it does not have an aggressive or offensive position towards anyone in the world, towards any other nation or group, that the State decides to resolve things not by force,” he stated.
In this way, the State is defined by law as neutral in armed conflicts, as the Legislative Assembly declared “perpetual, active, and unarmed neutrality in conflicts between States and within them”.
It is worth mentioning that Costa Rica maintains a series of treaties and agreements signed by the United Nations, which allow it to receive military aid during an external threat.
Although in 2010, the government of Laura Chinchilla temporarily allowed the entry of 7,000 U.S. soldiers, 10 planes, 200 helicopters, 46 ships, and an aircraft carrier to combat drug trafficking in terms of internal security.
Is there violence and drug trafficking on the streets of Costa Rica?
There are also voices demanding the presence of armed forces, one of them being former president Óscar Arias, who led the government for two terms. “Costa Rica cannot be neutral in global armed conflicts because we have values that are sometimes attacked, and we must take a position for or against”. Especially in recent times, the authorities are seeking to implement a package of measures to increase security, given the growth of organized crime. These are ten projects presented by legislators, the judiciary, and at the behest of the current president Rodrigo Chaves, to mitigate the wave of homicides.
The debate originates from the record of 907 homicides in 2023, compared to the 654 recorded in 2022, reported the Judicial Investigation Agency (OD). It should be noted that the measures aim to toughen penalties for carrying weapons, seize assets from drug trafficking, increase preventive detention sentences, among other initiatives.
According to Jaime García, Regional Director of the Social Progress Index, criminals feel untouchable: “there is a perception that I can break the law and not be punished,” he detailed.
According to the Director of the OD, Randall Zúñiga, the problem would be more profound, because “there is a structural issue that is generating the homicides, and it is education.” Fewer and fewer young people stay in educational institutions and do not complete their studies. They are young people who will not be able to enter the workforce and are of working age”. In this regard, he added that “they don’t have formal jobs and will be tempted to work as members of organized groups,” he expressed to the media.
What are the benefits of abolishing the army?
In contrast, since 1948, state resources have been used to improve health and education. And despite the skepticism, it has allowed for increased coverage. Similarly, a 2018 study by the Development Observatory of the University of Costa Rica concluded that the Central American nation grew in its Gross Domestic Product. (PIB).
According to the researchers, between 1920 and 1949 the GDP grew at an average annual rate of 1.31%, but after the abolition of the army and until the 2010s, the average growth rate increased to 2.44%.
Finally, a point that supporters of disarmament defend is that conflict resolution is achieved through diplomatic means, without the mediation of military forces that generate political instability, assert the voices that proudly showcase their legacy to the world.
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Beleida Delgado
