www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The most serious threat to us, as Costa Ricans, Americans or Canadians, is the continued solidifying of the coalition between China, Iran, and the satellite states of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia and others to grow. Much of that has to do with the production and use of oil.

There should be no question in anyone’s mind that the Chinese want to dominate the world. But so do the Iranians; both of them for different and conflicting reasons. But they are operating on the axiom that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

But there are other considerations as well and those are strategic. Prior to World War II, FDR realized the vulnerability of the US to an invasion from its southern neighbor Mexico. Wilson saw the same thing during World War I. So FDR started the “Good Neighbor” policy. That was a very complex policy but essentially it can be summed up by saying the US would give money to nations and prop up their leaders to ensure friendship with the US and stability of the foreign friend.

The German spy network in Mexico was extensive. And so was their effort to coop the Mexican government. Mexico eventually formalized its position with the US and provide air combat forces during WWII.

The potential of an invastion from Mexico and Central America was played out in the fictional movie "Red Dawn". The US is very vulnerable to an invasion from Mexico; not by the Republic of Mexico and its military and not by a traditional land force invasion; but by subtle and methodical movements of people and supplies into strategic locations inside the US. It would be unreasonable NOT to believe that such is not going on right now. That scenario of placing "cells" in the US was well illustrated in the motion picture "Traitor".

Back to Good Neighbors and Costa Rica. Ticolandia was really important to the US because of the enormous German influence here. Germans had been relocating to the Americas since the middle of the 19th Century. The relocation intensified as Germans fleeing the brutal life of post WWI Germany fled to Central and South America.

The Costa Rican government of President León Cortés Castro (1936-1940) was particularly concerning to the US. Germany was at war against our mother country and it was clear that the US would eventually have to join in the conflict. Cortés' father had studied medicine in Germany and Little León had spent much of his youth there. He spoke German and was very fond of Germany and Germans. He had Germans who were members of the Nazi Party in sensitive Costa Rica governmental positions.

Given the strategic importance of the Panama Canal to US interests, both economic and military, the Canal would be a prime target for sabotage and bombing raids. Costa Rica would be a nice little country in which to have secret military bases. Heck, the US used Costa Rica for secret bases during the Nicaraguan Civil War in the 1980s.

At that time (mid 1930s), Costa Rica had a tiny population of about 500,000 inhabitants. The US did not have an embassy here but the US did have a Legation. Diplomatically a legation is one step below an embassy. The American Legation was located in the gray building on the corner of Av 9 and Calle 11, just north of INS and the Casa Amarillo; ½ block east of the Castillo. It is some kind of a film institute now.

Sorry, I am rambling.

DiegoC

you are not rambling, you are reminding us of a few things are are often forgotten in these discussions. Some of the History as to were and how we got to this point today, Things are not as simple as they are made out to be and Events in far away places can and will affect the situation here.

I was aware of most of what you said, except for the CR/Nazi part,_ thank you for adding to my knowledge- However being reminded of this again can help explain why countries may be acting in what does not appear to be really there best interest in the long run.

In the long run these counties need to ask themselves, do they want to dominated by China, Iran or the USA? They have had a taste of us, but IMHO once they get a taste of either one of the alternatives we will look pretty dam good, despite any history we have had with them

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My best friend was the clock on the wall, and he turned out not to be much of a friend in the end

Because dominated they will be. With the possible exception of the larger countries (Brazil, India) or the the Euro Zone, true independence will be impossible--too much is at stake for the dominators and they're (and our) economic models and prevailing ideologies too different--with us or against us, but no standing on the sidelines.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Here's an interesting spin on this subject.

Costa Rica's China Town To Be A Reality In 2011
Inside Costa Rica

The awaited "Barrio Chino" (Chintown) in San José will be a reality in 2011.

According to Ana Elena Salas, with the gerencia de Provisión de Servicios for the municipalidad de San José, said the work will commence in the first quarter of 2011 and should take six months to complete. The delay in developing a Barrio Chino is due to the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) not authorizing the work fearing increased traffic congestion in the downtown core with the reconstruction work projects by the municipality of several streets. Currently the municipalidad de San José is reconstructing Avenida 8 after complete similar work on other Avenidas and Calles.

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

YES, China's development in CR is all about the Taiwan issue. Taiwan built a huge bridge in CR years ago to try to cement relations with CR. There is hardly a nation int the world that still officially recognizes Taiwan as a nation. The US does not but it maintains relations with Taiwan and has made it clear that it will militarily assist Taiwan.

No offense to anyone, but competing with bus loads of low paid Chinese immigrants for chicas does bother me. Get your shots --Hep A is very prevalent in Asian.

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The sexiest part of the human body? The brain.

Xman00 there is an excellent book on the subject titled Nazis and Good Neighbors: The United States Campaign against the Germans of Latin America in World War II.

Most of the east siders know Parque Roosevelt and Escuela Roosevelt in San Pedro - just south of the Outlet Mall. I have not verified the following as fact, but I was told that the school and the park were gifts from the US in the name of the Good Neighbor Policy and therefore named after FDR. The park is 100 meters south of Parque Kennedy which was dedicated after JFK visted CR. He was the first US President to do so.

Hey! As part of the PRC's Chinatown, maybe they could put in a Parque Mao Z. It could include a nice monument to the 30 to 70 million people Mao killed or starved to death (depending upon whom one believes) during his reign.

JFK was no fool, he was probably there to check out the chicas! Did Clinton ever visit CR?

Geo. Bush I visited but not Prez Bill. Somehow I think he would have liked a visit were it to have taken place.

One very important point about China no one seems to be saying is that China, despite all its economic growth (9% GDP), is not remotely close the US's GDP. US GDP is still way bigger than China's.

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The sexiest part of the human body? The brain.