Popular Vanguard Party (PVP) has vehemently condemned the government’s incorporation of the country into the joint declaration of the US-promoted “Shield of the Americas,” denouncing the decision as an act of servility to Washington, an attack on national sovereignty and a betrayal of the Costa Rican people.
Costa Rica’s Popular Vanguard Party denounces “Shield of the Americas” involvement
In a statement titled “A New Act of Unforgivable Submission!”, the Popular Vanguard Party (PVP) denounced the Chávez-Fernández regime’s alignment with US strategic interests through an initiative involving economic, security and intelligence cooperation, as well as mechanisms related to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR).
The party stressed that Costa Rica is a sovereign nation, not a US protectorate or a pawn to be subordinated to the geopolitical, economic and military interests of a foreign power.
The statement also denounced the government’s use of the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime to justify participation in US-led hemispheric security mechanisms. While recognizing that combating drug trafficking is an obligation of the Costa Rican state, PVP points out that subordinating national sovereignty to Washington’s interventionist strategy under the guise of fighting drugs is an entirely different matter.
The party warned that these arrangements could compromise Costa Rica’s independence in both domestic and foreign policy, potentially drawing the country into conflicts that have nothing to do with the interests of its people. They further condemned the government’s failure to subject such strategic decisions to a transparent national debate, particularly given their potential consequences for relations with sister nations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Invoking the Political Constitution, which establishes that sovereignty resides in the Nation, PVP declared that no government has a blank check to surrender these fundamental principles. They called on the Constitutional Chamber to speak out against the agreement and demanded that the government disclose the full extent of its commitments to the United States.
The party issued four demands:
1. Publish in full the documents, commitments, and communications related to Costa Rican participation in the so-called Shield of the Americas.
2. Publicly explain the scope of any initiative linked to the TIAR and the obligations that our country would eventually assume.
3. Guarantee absolute respect for the Political Constitution, national sovereignty, and Costa Rican civic tradition.
4. Subject any international commitment that legally requires it to the corresponding constitutional and legal controls.
The PVP emphasized that Costa Rica needs international cooperation to combat crime, not political subordination to Washington or commitments that could drag the country into foreign conflicts. They reject the use of national independence as a bargaining chip for political favour from the US government.
Reaffirming their commitment to sovereignty, the self-determination of peoples, peace and international solidarity, the Popular Vanguard Party concluded that the country belongs neither to the government in power, nor to the oligarchies, nor to foreign powers, but to its people.