Monday Memo: Costa Rican Elections – U.S. Deportations – Venezuela-Spain Spat – FIFA Delays
Unchallenged Costa Rican Candidate Wins Presidency: Luis Guillermo Solís of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (Citizen Action Party—PAC) won Sunday’s presidential election in Costa Rica, claiming 78 percent of the vote. The challenging candidate, Johnny Araya of the Partido Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Party—PLN), dropped out of the running after a March 5 opinion poll ranked … Read more
Monday Memo: Investment in Cuba – Venezuela – Costa Rican Elections – Rio Police – Mining in Peru
Cuba Approves New Foreign Investment Law: The Cuban government on Saturday unanimously approved a law that provides new incentives for foreign investment in the island. The law will reduce taxes on profits from 30 to 15 percent in most areas, will speed up the approval process for foreign investment, and will exempt new investors from … Read more
Monday Memo: Costa Rican and Salvadoran Elections – Peru-Chile Border – Colombia and Drummond – Uruguayan Floods
Likely top stories this week: presidential candidates in Costa Rica and El Salvador will advance to runoff elections; the dispute over the Chile-Peru border continues; Colombia brings charges against the U.S.-based coal company Drummond; heavy rains in Uruguay lead to flood warnings in most of the country. Costa Rican Presidential Elections: Costan Rican voters on … Read more
U.S., Costa Rica, Argentina Qualify for World Cup
The United States, Argentina and Costa Rica secured their place in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil last night, becoming the first three teams in the Americas to do so. The U.S. and Costa Rica represent the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and Argentina plays in the Confederación Sudamericana de … Read more
Former San José Mayor Leads Presidential Poll in Costa Rica
Only six months away from the February 4, 2014, presidential election in Costa Rica, the former mayor of San José and official candidate of the Partido Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Party—PLN), Johnny Araya, holds a significant lead over his rivals in the most recent poll. According to a local Borge y Asociados poll released on … Read more
Obama’s Visit to Costa Rica: Lessons for an Improved Partnership
President Obama’s recent visit to Costa Rica focused on enhancing competitiveness and deepening economic ties with the Central American Integration System (SICA) through a U.S.-SICA partnership based on human and economic development. The visit also served as a pressing reminder of the need to improve integration efforts within the region. For this partnership to succeed, … Read more
In Costa Rica, the United States is Eclipsed by its own Shadow
Today, U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Costa Rica as part of a trip to promote trade and business ties, discuss the implications of U.S. immigration reform for the region, and address security issues in Central America and Mexico. Compared with past visits of U.S. presidents to the country, which were major events, Obama’s trip … Read more
AQ Slideshow: Camp Harbor Head and the Border Between Nicaragua and Costa Rica
The border disputes between Nicaragua and Costa Rica date back to differing interpretations of a nineteenth century treaty, highlighting issues of environmentalism and nationalism. While Nicaragua accuses Costa Rica of contributing to environmental damage, Costa Rica maintains that members of Nicaragua’s Sandinista Youth Movement have invaded and occupied its territory. One such dispute includes Camp … Read more
New AQ Looks at Latin America’s Global Presence as Obama Heads to Mexico, Costa Rica
Today, as U.S. President Barack Obama kicks off his sixth visit to Latin America, Americas Quarterly releases its Spring issue, Latin America Goes Global, in which, among other articles on the region’s increasing role in global affairs, Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson reveals 10 generally unknown initiatives that are advancing … Read more
AQ entrevista al Presidente de los Estados Unidos Barack Obama sobre su próximo viaje a México y Costa Rica
29 de abril, 2013 POR Christopher Sabatini Días antes de su sexto viaje a Latinoamérica y el Caribe, el Presidente Barack Obama aceptó realizar una entrevista con el Editor en Jefe de Americas Quarterly, Christopher Sabatini, sobre su visita a México y Costa Rica entre 2 y el 4 de mayo. Obama aprovechará esta oportunidad … Read more
AQ Interviews U.S. President Barack Obama About Trip to Mexico and Costa Rica
On the eve of his sixth trip to Latin America and the Caribbean, President Barack Obama agreed to an interview with Americas Quarterly Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini about his May 2-4 visit to Mexico and Costa Rica. President Obama is using the occasion of his trip to meet with the new Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto … Read more
Obama To Visit Mexico and Costa Rica in Early May
The White House announced on Wednesday that U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Mexico and Costa Rica in the first week of May to “reinforce the deep cultural, familial and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America.” Among other issues, Obama plans to discuss immigration, citizen security and economic … Read more
Costa Rica’s Crisis of Confidence
Costa Rica, among Latin America’s oldest and best-established democracies, is facing an unusual crisis of confidence on the part of the population in the country’s politicians and institutions. This goes beyond unhappiness with the administration of President Laura Chinchilla (among the least popular leaders in the Americas, according to polls); it is also targeted at … Read more
Costa Rican Roller Derby
Roller derby, popular in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s, is catching fire in Costa Rica. The Roller Derby Costa Rica league, founded just one year ago, already has three teams—two in San José and one in the northern city of Heredia. And they’re likely to expand. A recent Facebook flier promoting an upcoming … Read more
Costa Rica’s Population Growth Slower than Expected
Costa Ricans are a small population to begin with, but now there are even fewer of them than previously thought. At the current growth rate, their numbers could one day start to shrink. For years, expert projections had put the population of this country—the size of West Virginia—at 4.5 million and higher. But the new … Read more
