The analyst explained that Central American nations have the habit of waiting for the United States to tell them what to do and how to do it, stating, "This entails an enormous danger. Our countries have developed thanks to the entrepreneurs and its up to them to cope with this task. Is the free trade agreement best for Costa Rica? Should Costa Rica seek direct foreign investment or develop strategic alliances? Yes to all of these, but Costa Rica should follow an indigenous formula, not a foreign, imposed one."

Montero Mejia added that it is necessary to have national pacts with all sectors of society to promote native models of development.

The absence of a development model responding to a national vision has caught the attention of politicians and Costa Rican analysts over the past decade. According to some specialists, Costa Rica requires a model that eliminates social inequality and serves to stimulate the country's economy.

Victor Bulmer-Thomas and Douglas Kincaid of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences go further when recommending that all Central America must establish a ground plan for a model geared towards 2020. The pair maintains that it is the only way to benefit the countries of the region. Such a plan would allow countries of the region to avoid the problems associated with mass migration and its negative regional consequences.

According to Pro-Costa Rica Chamber of Entrepreneurs President Juan Francisco Montealegre, the time has come for Costa Rica to stop imitating the bad in developed countries and begin strengthening the strong points of its indigenous culture. Montealegre commented, "We want to establish and stimulate a positive, constructive and permanent dialogue with different elements of society, particularly with labor and state organizations, with the intention of concluding long-term agreements, which will allow us to build a better country via direct politics and concrete actions."

Montealegre also called attention to the urgent need to neutralize the impunity that characterizes acts of corruption, observing, "It is fundamental to restore ethical and moral values, as much in the public sector as in the private one."

When consulted on the importance of the Free Trade Agreement, also known by its Spanish acronym TLC, between Central America and the United States, Pro-Costa Rica Chamber of Entrepreneurs Treasurer Roman Macaya replied that their organization respects the agreement.

"We know that the TLC has its problems, that certain elements could be strengthened, but we still have to wait and see what happens," Macaya said. "We believe that there are issues that can and should be renegotiated. We are for free trade, but certainly there are aspects of the TLC that lack balance."

Macaya noted that while elections in the United States will be fundamental in determining what measures and negotiating positions will have to undertaken in the future, serious debate over the various issues of the country's development must continue.

Certainly Costa Rica is beginning the 21st century from a stronger position than many of its neighbors. For decades, Costa Rica was noticeable in the region for its relative stability. In 1949, the country abolished its armed forces, freeing up money that would otherwise be wasted on munitions. The funds saved were used to create the most developed welfare system in Central America. In contrast to their neighbors plagued with guerrilla movements and repressive dictatorships, Costa Ricans enjoyed one of the highest life expectancy levels in the Western Hemisphere and higher living standards.

But beginning with the tripling of oil prices in 1974, Costa Rica's economy began to erode. Increased costs for energy imports combined with falling commodity prices and high inflation to impoverish many Costa Ricans, nearly one-fifth of whom now live in poverty. Mindful of the country's humanist traditions, the Pro-Costa Rica Chamber of Entrepreneurs sees itself as a vital link between the country's rulers and its citizens.

If the past is any guide, Costa Rica has a better chance of transforming itself than its neighbors, serving once again as a progressive model for the rest of Central America while preserving the best elements of its unique identity.