The US media ignores it and the International media treats it as an oddity, a quirky anecdotal story about those silly Latin Americans arguing over a meaningless border dispute. But here in Costa Rica, the story of their sovereign land being invaded by a Stalinist aggressor is very real indeed, and the people are wondering why their powerful US ally is ignoring them.
Weeks ago the Nicaraguan army marched onto Costa Rican soil and planted their flag on Isla Calero, in the San Juan river. Nicaraguan commander Eden Pastora cited Google’s version of the border map in an interview with Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion to justify the raid.
As amusing as the Google Map aspect of the story may seem to those who read about it on the back pages of the New York Times, the invasion carries very real consequences for Costa Rica and the entire region. Costa Rica’s control over Isla Calero has ensured a free flow of commerce through the San Juan river. If the socialist regime in Nicaragua were to take control of it, the free trade and commerce in the region would be very much in doubt.
Google has been forced to admit and explain their error. At first, they blamed the US State Department for providing them faulty information when they drew the boundary. On November 5, they made an official correction. Realizing that the error had started an international crisis, Google provided a very detailed historical context for the current dispute:
Yesterday we became aware of a dispute that referenced the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua as depicted on Google Maps. This morning, after a discussion with the data supplier for this particular border (the U.S. Department of State), we determined that there was indeed an error in the compilation of the source data, by up to 2.7 kilometers.
Incorrect border shown on Google Maps.
The U.S. Department of State has provided a corrected version and we are now working to update our maps.
Corrected Border on Google Earth
The dispute in this area goes back to at least the mid-19th century, and both the International Court of Justice and the United Nations have weighed in. The dispute mainly centers around control of the mouth of the San Juan River, and was recently reignited because of dredging activity in this location.
In 1888, U.S. President Grover Cleveland was called upon by Nicaragua and Costa Rica to arbitrate the dispute. The 1888 Arbitration upheld the 1858 treaty and its terms.
The New York Times, 25 March, 1888
Then, in 1897, Cleveland sent Edward P. Alexander to do a more detailed Arbitration Award for this region. Alexander went into great detail on the San Juan river boundary and drew the map depicted below:
The Costa Rican people are frustrated, angry and incredulous that the world is standing by silently while their land has been taken from them by their aggressive neighbor.
Costa Rica is a peaceful nation, so much so that they have chosen to go without a standing army of any kind. They rely on diplomacy to settle such disputes, and when necessary, on the help of their allies to come to their defense. The US is one of those allies. And, more importantly, the aggressor in this dispute, Nicaragua, is the furthest thing from an ally. In a dispute between the two nations, it isn’t even a close call as to who America should come to the aid of.
But the Costa Rican people I spoke with are wondering where the US Government is. “Our Presdient is angry and she has said ‘No, this will not stand’ and she has asked for help from America,” said Carolina Bravo, a Costa Rican in the port city of Puntarenas. “But so far, we have not heard anything from them. Believe me, Nicaragua is very, very bad. They are bad to their own people and now they are just taking our land from us.”
Armando Molina, a small business owner in the same town also expressed support for his President. “We are a peaceful nation, for Nicaragua to do this is an act of war. We need help from our friends.”
Meanwhile, the international press has characterized Nicaragua’s naked aggression as a “border dispute” instead of what it actually is: an invasion. It is very simple, the land in question has been a part of the recognized borders of Costa Rica since the 19th century. Nicaragua is using the laughable excuse of a Google Map error to justify their military seizure of Costa Rica’s territory. Ironically, if the military geniuses in Nicaragua had used Bing maps instead, this never would have happened.
While President Obama is busy bumbling through his highly anticipated Asian Rainbow Tour, this very real conflict between a socialist, totalitarian military regime and a peaceful democracy is happening in our backyard. Where is the US State Department? Will we continue to allow our peaceful neighbors to live in fear, or will we come to their aid? The State Department’s web page on Nicaragua makes no mention of the invasion. The latest entry is an invitation to a barbecue at the US Embassy in Managua.
The US Ambassador to Nicaragua, Robert Callahan, has signaled that the US is willing to negotiate a settlement between the two nations. He said the Nicaraguan government needs to “discuss, talk and negotiate with the Costa Rican government to find a satisfactory solution for both countries.”
What is there to discuss and negotiate?
The people of Costa Rica are waiting for help. Will President Obama have the fortitude to stand up to Nicaragua’s socialist regime? He must show the same kind of strong-willed resolve as Costa Rica’s president, Laura Chinchilla. She is positively “Thatcher-esque” in her determination not to allow part of her country to be taken from under her.
Can President Obama be a little less “Carter-esque” and at least say something about this?
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