Dammit boingboing! It only works as long as it’s neighbors don’t KNOW they’ve abolished their military.
Now that you’ve let the cat out of the bag, it’s only a matter of time before Panama and Nicaragua invade it. Thanks a lot.
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What’s not mentioned here is why Costa Rica is able to do this. They depend entirely on their alliance with the United States. In 2010 we deployed 7,000 troops to Costa Rica to deal with drug cartels. They don’t get invaded because they’re backed by our military, not because militaries are unnecessary.
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In 2010 we deployed 7,000 troops to Costa Rica to deal with drug cartels. They don’t get invaded because they’re backed by our military, not because militaries are unnecessary.[/quote]
The drug cartels are there because of the US drug market, so if you removed the US from the equation entirely they still wouldn’t need their military.
I believe New Zealand seriously downsized their military some years back. They certainly can’t defend themselves against a mid sized attacker, but they could never have defended themselves against a superpower anyway.
Here’s some interesting history:
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Not really, because if you get invaded you pay 100% of the costs, and the money you spend in non-invasion years is mostly just wasted, rather than having the potential to save you money later. It would be more accurate to say, I dunno, “this is like saving on construction costs by not building walls”. But still not at all accurate.
Whatever the metaphor, don’t buy the supposed “common sense” that a standing army is simply a public utility that protects you from war. That is more nearly the opposite of the truth. It’s “good guy with a gun” propaganda writ large.
Countries without armies don’t have wars.
Has it? It’s not obvious what conflicts would have engulfed Costa Rica otherwise; most conflict in the Americas is caused by US military spending.
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They do, if they have an aggressive neighbor with an army.
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Relative lack of corruption is also a big reason why the Costa Rican is stronger than others surrounding it. To be more precise, corruption on a small scale is low, but large scale corruption is rampant. The idea that you could just bribe your way out of a speeding ticket doesn’t exist like it does in places like Mexico. But…the pavement cartel extorts boatloads of money from the government in exchange for no-bid contracts and some of the crappiest roads in Latin America.
It’s a complicated situation for sure, but corruption is relatively low and that has a huge effect on the economy.
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