The decision to demilitarize started from a proposal to put more money into education and healthcare by the then Defense Minister Edgar Cardona, who passed it to the Interior minister Alvaro Ramos and then, taken to the constitutional assembly by the provisional President at the time, Jose Figueres Ferrer.
But even though Costa Rica has no Army, it has a special police force, officially called the Public Force of Costa Rica (Fuerza Pública). It was established in 1996 by the Ministry of Public Security to perform law enforcement, policing, and border patrol tasks. The force’s motto is “God, Fatherland, and Honor.”
The Effects of Costa Rica not having an Army
The budget previously dedicated to sustaining the Costa Rica Army is put into other aspects of the society like education and health care.
This, in turn, allows for improved political, economic, and social stability. New schools and hospitals lowered the country’s infant mortality and heightened the literacy rate.
Today, Costa Rica’s infant mortality rate is the second-lowest in the region, and the literacy rate is 98%. It also has a higher life expectancy, averaging 80 years old. So, overall, the standard of living has increased.
In fact, in 2012, based on the Happy Planet Index, it was the happiest country in the world!
Population of 5 million.
I visited Costa Rica on a business trip around twenty years ago. The thing that blew my mind was every person in the building, after we got back from lunch, trooping to the bathroom and brushing their teeth. That’s public health done right.
I’m more proud to be Costa Rican than to be American at this point. Something like 95+% of our electricity comes from green energy, and we have a goal to achieve 100% in a short timeline. We also have fantastic food and produce.
Another fun fact is that the government owns an alcohol distillery that was set up in an attempt to curb illicit distilling in the 50s. It’s now a point of national pride. The distillery is FANAL, they make Cacique
Costa Rica is the only country in the world whose constitution forbids a national army. Instead, they make do with 560 varieties of butterflies, 830 species of birds and 1200 kinds of orchid. Isn’t that the kind of country you’d like to live in?
– Stephen Fry in the first series of QI.
Man, Stephen Fry has had such a positive influence in my life lmao I first saw him in V for Vendetta, then I found his debates about religion. Really formed me at a young age. Really appreciate that guy.
Stephen Fry literally saved my life by prompting me to get the proper diagnosis with what was going on with me psychologically:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry:_The_Secret_Life_of_the_Manic_Depressive
I believe it’s on YouTube these days, but I just happened to see his name (I already knew who he was) and download a torrent. My whole life suddenly made sense to me. I was in tears, but it got me to a psychiatrist and got me onto proper medication. I’m glad what I went through is not as severe as what he’s been through, but it definitely could have been the end of me one day…
