Nonviolent Resistance to CAFTA in Costa Rica

The Central American Free Trade agreement was described by President George Bush as “a commitment of freedom-loving nations to advance peace and prosperity”. And with the help of a well-fueled (and well-funded) promotional machine, many have come to share his views. In Costa Rica, however, where many of the treaty’s effects will actually be felt, the public remains unconvinced. In fact, many feel that this treaty will lead to nothing but a bleak future of sanctioned exploitation and abuse.

CAFTA is an international agreement designed to create a free trade zone in Central America. It is an expansion of NAFTA, passed in 1994, and many believe it is the next step toward Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA). Its provisions are numerous, from the privatization of public services to test data exclusivity. It would require Central American governments to guarantee at least equal treatment for foreign investors, and to eliminate their subsidies. Government purchases would have to be opened to transnational bids, and intellectual property rights would be enforced. It would also involve the significant transfer of authority to supranational organizations like the WTO. CAFTA was signed by Bush in 2005, but for it to take effect it must be ratified by the six member countries. Costa Rica is the only one yet to accept the treaty, and recently-elected President Oscar Arias has pledged to approve it.

But Arias’ enthusiasm is not shared by the people of Costa Rica. After trade liberalization policies in the 1990s increased poverty and income inequality, many are wary of further attempts at privatization. CAFTA would threaten the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen, putting restrictions on what had previously been public resources. It would also make it impossible for the government to nurture nascent industry, forced to favor foreign investors. Test-data exclusivity policies could deprive the poor of life-saving medications, and the liberalization of service markets threatens to raise the price of basic utilities like water out of the reach of the average citizen. Also of crucial importance to Costa Rica, one of the only nations in the world that chooses not to maintain a standing army, CAFTA would make it possible for weapons and weapons parts to be produced within its borders, and open the country to an international Central American armed force, a considered option to combat drug traffic. In short, Costa Rica would be ensnared in a pact with a superpower (and by proxy a host of international corporations) with no mechanisms for accountability or control.

Many Costa Ricans are unwilling to see this transpire. People have taken to the streets in creative protests drawing on cultural traditions like dance and song. An education campaign has been of vital importance, especially given the complex nature of the CAFTA accord. Media coverage has been a problem, as the television and radio stations are almost exclusively funded by corporate supporters of the treaty, but Sandra Ribas, a member of the demilitarization organization A World Without Armies, explains that though mass communication is difficult, taking their message directly to communities and “speaking from the heart” have won them support despite promotional propaganda.

Costa Rica’s second republic was established in 1948 after a forty-day civil war. The result was a wave of socializing reforms, and the dissolution of the Costa Rican army. However, Human Rights attorney Dulce Umanzor fears that they are losing sight of what the liberal revolution intended to build. The country has experienced increasing privatization, and Umanzor feels that these changes have contributed to a sense of personal isolation, and concerning levels of violence. For many, resistance to CAFTA represents a deeper struggle, for the “culture of peace” they believe everyone deserves. Ms. Ribas suggests that it is time for a second revolution in Costa Rica – but this time, “the weapons will be the mind and the heart”.

Learn More at A World Without Armies