War: Food for Thought

The Vietnam War lasted for 103 months, from August 1964 to March 1973. It was previously the longest war in the history of the U.S. Until America declared war on the Middle East.

As of November 7, 2010, the U.S. has been in Afghanistan for 109 months. I am not going to look up death tolls and devastation numbers, it is too depressing. And I don't want to ruin how happy I am sitting in a cabin in the middle of a jungle. But we all know, it's a lot.

Whatever reason you believe the U.S. sent troops eastwards - whether you think it was because of oil, 9/11, terrorists, to better the lives of the citizens - one thing is certain: the U.S. daily employs acts of violence.

Compare that to the current conflict between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The conflict that has probably not graced the States' attention once, but that is splattering the front page of all newspapers here.

The San Juan River marks the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Just over a month ago, Nicaragua sent troops to the river to dredge the way for bigger boats to more easily navigate the area. This was no problem, until they began tossing the debris on the Costa Rican side of the waterway.

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla Miranda declared that Nicaragua was invading Costa Rican territory. Nicaragua blamed the invasion on a Google Map image of the region, claiming they didn't realize the land belonged to their southern neighbor. Google maps has admitted their error of mis-marking the land, giving 1.7 miles of territory that is legally Costa Rica's to Nicaragua. Google has since fixed the error, but not before blaming the U.S. State Department for inaccurate information.

While it seems silly to think that a Google map error is a reason for dispute, the issue of territory invasion is one that would quickly become a military battle among other countries. That is, countries with an army.

In 1948, at the conclusion of the civil war, former Costa Rican President Jose Figueres Ferrer abolished the Costa Rican military. The military budget is now used for security, education, and culture. There has not been a civil war since 1948.

Thus, unable, and more importantly unwilling, to respond with violence, Costa Rica called on the Organization of American States (OAS) for help. Through peace talks and negotiations, the OAS has voted Costa Rica in the right and has ordered Nicaraguan troops to retreat. While the conflict is not completely resolved, there is no news of a death count, no plans for war, and the latest headlines read: OAS urges Nicaragua and Costa Rica to talk out differences.

Talk out differences? There's a thought. Huh...

Does Costa Rica really have life figured out? Here, you ask someone how they are doing and they reply with the phrase, "Pura Vida." Pure life. People are calm, laid back, not in a hurry, and are happy to stop what their doing to chat with you. The citizens do not want an army. The locals talk about how they are in a war with Nicaragua, and how it is really serious. Which it is, I'll give them that. But just have to wonder, that if war for them means a month long tension resolved by discussions, votes, and just a little intervention, life is pretty damn good.

Pura vida. Let's all follow suit.