Costa Rica is under threat.  Despite recent claims that “no terrorist groups or drug cartels lurk in the nation’s mountains and rain forests,” the evidence is quite the contrary. Even back in 2011, journalists were warning of the cartel influence creeping into Costa Rica.  Since 2004, homicide rates – while still well below those of its neighbors such as Honduras and El Salvador – increased more than sixfold, and crime rates have doubled since the late 1990s.  The nation was becoming popular (and still is) as a “warehouse” for cocaine being shipped from Colombia up to the USA. Some sharp lessons in realpolitik are coming to light for Costa Rica.  Back in 1948, the country abolished its military and began grossly underfunding its police services in order to allow greater spending on health, education, other social benefits, and environmental protection.  Now it has few institutional resources equipped to handle...(Read Full Article)