About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (June 5, 2006)

handle is hein.crs/crsaiqv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS21943 Updated June 5, 2006 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Costa Rica: Background and U.S. Relations Colleen W. Cook and Connie Veillette Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary Costa Rica is considered the most politically stable and economically developed nation in Central America with a tradition of political moderation and civilian government. Former President Oscar Arias (1986-1990) of the National Liberation Party (PLN) was once more inaugurated as President on May 8, 2006. Fiscal reform legislation and ratification of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) will likely be the major focus of the first six months of President Arias's administration. Every country but Costa Rica has now approved the agreement. Relations with the United States have traditionally been good, although some friction arose during CAFTA negotiations. For additional information, see CRS Report RL32322, CentralAmerica and the Dominican Republic in the Context of the Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) with the United States, by K. Larry Storrs, CRS Report RL31870, The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, by J.F. Hornbeck and CRS Report RS22164, DR-CAFTA: Regional Issues, by Clare Ribando. This report will be updated as events warrant. Political Situation Costa Rica is a politically stable and economically developed country, relative to its neighbors in Central America. Since its independence from Spain in 1821, Costa Rica has developed a tradition of political moderation and civilian government despite having had some interludes of military rule. A brief civil war that ended in 1948 led to the abolition of the Costa Rican military by President Jose Figueres, a new constitution, and continuous civilian governments since then. The 1949 Constitution prohibits the creation of a standing army, although there exists a police force, Border Guard, Rural Guard, and Civil Guard. Costa Rica is a presidential democracy with a unicameral legislature. Constitutional reform approved by the legislature in 1969 barred presidential re-election. In April 2003, the Costa Rican Constitutional Court annulled the prohibition on consecutive re-election. Costa Rica scores well according to commonly used indicators of socio-economic development. Costa Rica has the highest level of human development in Central America according to the United Nations' 2005 Human Development Index, which ranked Costa Rica 47'h out of 177 nations based on life expectancy, education, and income levels. From Congressional Research Service . The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most