Subscribe via E-Mail

Get all of our news delivered fresh to your inbox every morning! Just tell us your name and where to send it using the form below.

PS – We hate spam too. We don’t sell or share our list with anyone, and we never send commercial email.




luxe
Friday, January 29th, 2016  |  USD: Buy 531.29 / Sell 543.92
20 years

Costa Rica and Japan to seek Nobel Peace Prize nomination on behalf of their people

Email this page

December 3rd, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) Costa Rica celebrated its 66th year without a military on Monday, and lawmakers believe the country should be nominated for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize in recognition.

 

Lawmakers have unanimously approved a motion to create a committee to seek the nomination on behalf of the people of Costa Rica, along with the people of Japan, who would share the nomination, due to both countries maintaining a ban on military forces, according to the motion.

 

“Both Costa Rica and Japan have maintained these standards for more than six decades and have prospered, despite the efforts of minority groups internally and external forces, who have wanted to reestablish military forces,” the motion says.

 

Despite the wording of the motion, however, the situation in Japan is significantly different than in Costa Rica.  While Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution explicitly creates a ban on military forces, Japan maintains ground, maritime, and air forces that the country describes as “self defense forces.”

 

While by law, the self-defense forces are an extension of the police, they are equipped as a standard military force, and have a significant budget of around $50 billion USD per year, representing some 1% of the country’s GDP.

 

Former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Oscar Arias, also has his doubts regarding the countries’ chances of nomination, telling Amelia Rueda that only individuals and organizations, not entire countries, can be nominated for the prize.

 

If Costa Rica can be nominated, however, Arias said he would fully support the country’s candidacy and is even willing to write the Nobel Committee in support of the nomination.

 

Arias received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to bring peace to Central America.

 

Costa Rica will submit its candidacy in January.

 

costa rica news

ATTENTION: If you are seeing this message,


Advertisement


Get our news delivered fresh to your inbox every morning.

Click here to subscribe to our email list. We hate spam too and never send commercial email.

Like us on Facebook and receive our news in your timeline

  • dark451

    This is really weird…sounds like the Costa Rican government has nothing better to do. Yet, they need to fix the economy. Shouldn’t they be working on the economy??
    Japan has an army. Costa Rica has one as well, they just call it “police”.

    • Michael C

      Exactly! And Costa Rica has the U.S. Marines…..should the need arise!

      • HONEST MAN

        Costa Rica has China never count on the US goverment for anything but lies look at IRAQ war all Lies.

        • Michael C

          The U.S. government would send in the military in a heartbeat to protect U.S. business interests here (like United Fruit!), as they have done in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama…..an ugly history!

          • HONEST MAN

            All US Corp are leaving Intel and B of A and many more. The US goverment has done some screwed up stuff to many of the countries you mention. The US goverment would use CIA first and really the CIA is already in Costa Rica stiring thing up the only thing is there no army to help over throw Prez Solis so the CIA is using Corp war now. We all know how the US goverment works. Here is little video that should be played everywhere in Latin Ameria

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNgCyDsvi84

          • Mike Shannon

            true… but certainly NOT to protect the people from tyranny. it’s always about the profits.

  • costarick

    This sounds like nothing more than a publicity stunt. As Oscar Arias has correctly stated on this matter, only individuals and organizations can be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, not countries.

    • HONEST MAN

      Never agree with Oscar Arias he has screwed over so many and stolen so much.

  • Ken Morris

    A nomination might be good, since it could produce a long-needed discussion in Costa Rica about the meaning of pacifism.

    Costa Rica confuses the absence of a formal military with pacifism, and implicitly defines pacifism in terms of the methods (military violence) that the country rejects. Serious pacifists, however, define pacifism in terms of the alternative methods a country uses in lieu of violence. These include things like life-threatening passive resistance, appealing to the nobler motives of enemies, and diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy.

    I fail to see Costa Rica engaging in these affirmative pacifist strategies. Running and hiding from a threat while playing the victim isn’t pacifism, but cowardice; relying upon other countries for military protection while providing your police force with military weapons and training isn’t pacifism, but sanctimonious manipulation; and insulting adversaries while cutting off diplomatic ties with them isn’t pacifism, but brattiness. Anyone who doesn’t see these pacifist failings of Costa Rica needs only to recall how it responded to the recent altercations with Nicaragua.

    There are fortunately exceptions, chiefly Arias during the 1980s. That fellow knew how to be tough and engaged without relying on or threatening military force, and his tactics prevailed. However, he already won the Peace Prize for his work and I don’t see any Tico in leadership today who comes close to displaying his sophisticated understanding of pacifism.

    Sorry, playing the victim while whining isn’t pacifism. Let the discussion begin!

    • HONEST MAN

      Pacifism is a Costa Rican problem they never stand up for anything unless they can steal from someone. Crime in CR is higher than Nicaraqua. There some Pacifism.

  • Shawn Carter

    To say that Japan has no military is a serious stretch, regardless of what they want to call it. Their “defense forces” are equipped with naval destroyers, tanks, and fighter jets. That is a military, period.

    • HONEST MAN

      Japan has a large Navy and they are very powerful because the US goverment fund them.

    • Ken Morris

      As I understand it, another problem is that Japan has yet to own up to its beligerent role in WW II and whitewashes its own history. I’m not sure that this is true, but its what I’ve read and been told about Japan’s history textbooks. By contrast, Germany has done a remarkable job in owning up to its beligerent past and today takes one of the stronger stands in the world for peace and human rights. If countries can contend for the Peace Prize, I’d nominate Germany for its honest self-understanding and generally responsible engagement in world affairs.

      • expatin paradise

        As usual, you raise good points, Ken. Especially in the area of systemic rape, a practice that essentially enslaved women to service the Japanese military during the war, Japan has not acknowledged its atrocities. International women’s groups have been trying to get Japan to own up on its history, but there has been an unwillingness by Japan to comply. I don’t know what “belligerence” you refer to – of course, Japan waged, and initiated, the war, the basis for the term “belligerent.” I’m sure that they felt compelled by some extreme circumstances to take on the US – most who attack the US do.

        Regarding Japan’s abolishing its military, that was a decision forced on them by the allied forces – the US wrote their post-war constitution. Other commenters have rightfully noted, however, that their defense forces are nothing less than military forces.

        Others have commented that Costa Rica indeed has a military force, referred to as the national police. If one looks at modern police forces worldwide, however; they all look like military forces – many (including out neighbors to the north and south look much more like military forces than our police do. I would argue that Costa Rica’s police force is not even adequate to carry out basic police functions, much less act as a military force.

        I see this initiative to gain recognition for the country as a silly PR move and agree that the government has much more pressing issues to address. Positive international attention does have its value, though – I just read an article in an international environmental organization’s newsletter praising CR for its commitment to carbon neutrality, even though that commitment is a pipe dream, considering CR’s lack of positive action to achieve that goal, a fact overlooked in the article.

        • Ken Morris

          Good points all, although I question the “value” of the “positive international attention” CR routinely lobbies for and often receives. Its stances on both the environment and human rights strike me as more PR than substance, yet as you note outsiders often believe and even praise them. My feeling is that CR’s lofty ideals are good, but that some more reality-based soul-searching is in order. Ticos appear to believe their own PR, and this unfortunately becomes an obstacle to realizing it. When you’re already perfect, after all, there’s no incentive to improve.

          • Guest

            You are an agent of Ortega.

          • Ken Morris

            And you, Pablo or Guest or whoever you are, are a heckler. How about either posting something that has the faintest bearing shutting the fuck up?

  • HONEST MAN

    Why does Oscar Arias get to say anything on anything. Who made him the king of Costa Rica? Oscar has been paid by the CIA for years and that why he got the Nobel Peace prize. Oscar was involved with so much stealing he make Somoza dictator look good now. How does a man earn so much money and never really does anything oh that right it called lie and steal in the name of peace. Go look at his foundation in San Jose they do Fu%k all for anybody. Every time i see Oscar Arias i see Bull Sh$T.

  • HONEST MAN
    • Shawn Carter

      If the guy in the video could pick one language or the other during his presentation, it would be nice. Being completely bilingual in both languages myself, his frequent want to display his Spanish “ability” is annoying. He should have chose to do the whole presentation in one language or the other. He makes himself come off as some gringo wackjob conspiracy theorist by his demeanor, speech, and presentation, even if that may not be case.

    • Shawn Carter

      by the way i meant no offence by my other comment, the video is interesting, i just though the “spanglish” was annoying. I have been reading your comments and many others since i found this site a few weeks ago and i agree with you on many subjects. I am glad i found this site, it seems more professional and balanced than most of the other english news sites on CR.

      • HONEST MAN

        Your Right the video is not so good.

        • Shawn Carter

          do you have more videos like this about things like in this CR? send me a private message if you do or post more links.

  • HONEST MAN

    Did you know that Pres Oscar Arias sent more Costa Rican police to the School of the America´s than any other Costa Rican President. We all should know that School of the America´s was no boy scout camp i know i was there they taught some nasty shit.

  • Shamboodatay

    Maybe semi-literate Idiot-Rica should win an award for most liars and thieves going unpunished ! Pura Vida ! Want to buy an iPad ?

Popular Content