A people without arms: 55 years of Costa Rican demilitarization

Fifty-five years ago today, on Dec. 1, 1948, a ceremony took place in San Jos?©, Costa Rica that would change the future of my country forever. On that day, Jos?© Figueres Ferrer, president of the governing junta, stood up on one of the turrets of Fort Bellavista in San Jos?© and knocked down one of the walls with a sledgehammer.

He then handed the keys of the fort to the Minister of Education and announced that the fort would hence become a National Museum. Figueres then proceeded to officially disband the tiny Costa Rican army and a few months later, under Article 12 of the new Constitution, Costa Rica became one of the first countries in the world to constitutionally abolish the existence of a standing army.

At that time, Costa Rica was coming out of a short civil war in which Figueres led a force that fought the government's forces after it refused to recognize the election of the rival candidate. Figueres then installed a civilian junta to bring stability to the country, draft a new Constitution and pave the way toward a peaceful transition of power.

Figueres' decision to abolish the military seems very perplexing when one considers the circumstances under which the decision was taken. Having just taken power through a violent struggle, it would have seemed more logical to strengthen the army to secure the new government's power. Not only was there domestic instability, but the new regime was also being threatened by the forces of Nicaraguan dictator Anastacio Somoza, a sworn enemy of Figueres and an ally of the government that Figueres had deposed.

However, Figueres' decision was actually a work of political genius. The army had often interfered with political succession in Costa Rica. By eliminating the military, Figueres was removing a potential source of political instability. Figueres was also confident that Costa Rica was safe from external invasion since he had the backing of the US government. The US had been suspicious of the previous government's alliance with the Communist Party and was happy to see it replaced with a regime led by the resolutely anti-communist Figueres.

Moreover, just three days after abolishing the army, Costa Rica signed the R?­o Treaty. This defensive alliance between the US and the Latin American nations promised mutual assistance under the framework of the Organization of American States if any member was threatened by external aggression.

Figueres also believed that by eliminating Costa Rica's army, he would strengthen the nation's moral standing in the international community, as without a military there was no way the country could ever be accused of aggression. Figueres thus felt confident that Costa Rica would be safe from foreign invasion through its commitment to non-violence and international cooperation.

His gamble paid off; on two occasions, one just weeks after the abolition of the army and the other in 1955, Costa Rican exiles launched invasions from Nicaragua and both times they were halted by US and OAS forces.

The absence of a military has since been a defining feature of the Costa Rican national character. As our former president Oscar Arias said in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, "Mine is a people without arms, whose children have never seen a combat plane, nor a tank, nor a battleship... our children walk with books under their arms rather than guns on their shoulders."

Costa Ricans pride ourselves in the pacifist character of our foreign policy and in the fact that while so many of our sister Latin American nations have endured the scourge of military dictatorships, we have had a peaceful and democratic transition of power for more than half a century. Costa Rica's refusal to spend our scarce resources on building armies and fighting wars has also been an important reason why our standard of living comes close to that of the advanced industrialized democracies, with a life expectancy of 76 years (compared with the US's 77) and a literacy rate of 96% (compared with the US's 97%).

Most importantly, the fact that we do not have a military makes us feel safe rather than insecure, for we know that so long as we remained unarmed, there is no reason or plausible justification for another country to attack us.

Realists speak of anarchy and a state of perpetual war between nations, but my country's example demonstrates that it is indeed possible to renounce the use of violence and be safe without the need for armies. This idea of safety is possible by forfeiting the capacity of waging war is reinforced by the fact that both Haiti and our neighbor Panama have also abolished their military forces in the past decade.

It is my hope that this move toward demilitarization can spread throughout Latin America, where so much misery has been caused by military rule and where money should be invested in social development rather than on weapons. It is also my hope that someday, this phenomenon can spread throughout the world, and other nations may join us in condemning violence and renouncing war forever.

Just as Costa Rica is an oasis of peace and tranquility in a world where war and violence persist, each of us can be our own Costa Rica by providing an example of peace and non-violence to others. In a world where violence is so rampant, we can choose to become part of the solution by setting an example through peaceful coexistence, solidarity towards others, and a condemnation of all forms of violence.

Through small but meaningful expressions of love and kindness, through forgiveness, tolerance and non-violence, we can build upon our hope and move our world forward toward a distant but powerful vision of a world without violence.

By sowing seeds of peace and compassion, we as individuals can start a revolution of love and peace whereby we demonstrate that human beings can indeed coexist peacefully with one other. Today, as my country proudly celebrates 55 years of peace, I look upon it as I always have, as an inspiring and hopeful sign that war and violence are not preexistent and predetermined facets of the human condition and that peace is in fact possible.

Mauricio Artinano is from Costa Rica. He is a sophomore majoring in International Relations.