|
“Free
Trade” in Costa Rica.
Written
by Nick Copeland
to The New York Times,
September 17, 2007.
Dear New York Times,
I am writing in regards to a major story that has gone completely
unnoticed in the major US media. The story regards a leaked memo
from the Costa Rican vice president to a Costa Rican congressman
and the president outlining dirty political tactics they plan to
use to force a “Yes” vote on an upcoming referendum
about the Free Trade Agreement. I’m attaching this document,
which has been recently translated into English by Juliana Martinez
Franzoni, a Costa Rican academic. You will be astounded by what
you read.
This story has been major news in Costa Rica all week, where it
has become the largest scandal in recent memory. It has even led
the vice president to step down, at least temporarily. Obviously,
this story, which details a long list of anti-democratic methods
of creating a false appearance of a consensus, has regional significance.
Rural populations throughout Latin America have very good reasons
to fear these agreements, which threaten their very means of subsistence.
It is of vital importance to US citizens to know the means through
which we persuade our allies to approve our free trade policies.
Obviously, this story deserves more complete coverage than it was
given in a short article in the Tico Times (San Jose, Costa Rica).
Certainly you could find more information on this matter from your
Central American correspondents. It also needs more historical context
for an international audience to grasp its significance. I hope
that you will be able to do this. It would be fantastic if you could
provide a link to the translated memo in the online version of the
newspaper.
— Thank you,
— Nick Copeland PhD
— Latin American Studies Center
— University of Maryland, College
Park
EDITOR’S NOTE:
See the document referred to in the letter, Download
here.
Comments
will be reviewed and
posted on a daily basis.
|
B.U.G.A.
U.P.,
Tom Civil
