Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Nothing lasts forever.

Well, then. Costa Rica assents to a remarkably low-key invasion by the United States.

This stings particularly badly because Costa Rica had always struck me as something of an exemplar among the American nations, Latin or otherwise, both for abolishing its military way back in 1948 and generally conducting itself in an unusually sane and civilized manner. It was a matter of time until those practices –– combined with Costa Rica's tempting strategic location –– ran afoul with the local empire.

It's tempting to make the argument that such an effortless invasion and occupation is the inevitable result of a demilitarized society. This argument, however, is absolute nonsense. If Costa Rica had wasted billions upon billions over the last six decades to support a military ostensibly tasked with defending against, let's say, the Panamanian Menace but which spent the majority of its time launching coup after coup, what could this have done to so much as delay the juggernaut from the north?

Nothing. A vigorous armed defense against American military aggression results in needless suffering, destruction, and death. There's no denying that the Costa Rican people are about to be on the business end of a serious boning here, but what else could have been done? If you absolutely must be occupied by a foreign military empire, you might as well embrace the wise and humane doctrine of cowardice while doing it.

––––

Edit: Like every recent Latin American intervention, this one is being done in the sacred name of the War on Drugs. Anti-Communism, like petting, is passé.

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