Costa Rica has long been seen as an example of social and political stability in Central America. This image has been questioned recently as citizens took to the streets in protest in early October.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the already fragile Costa Rican economy hard, largely due to the slowdown of global tourism. The government responded by seeking a loan from the IMF, but the tax increases that the loan would bring, added to the rising levels of poverty and unemployment, sparked protests in the capital of San Jose.

Now it remains to be seen how the government of Carlos Alvarado will deal with the social unrest and the economic pressure the country is facing.

Music by Chogo El Bandeño used under an Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International Creative Commons

LINKS:

Nicaraguan refugees in Costa Rica: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47934961

Tourism downturn: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/may/20/costa-rica-absence-of-tourists-means-greater-need-for-food-banks

Conflicts Over Indigenous Land: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/world/americas/central-america-indigenous-conflicts.html

Costa Rica's Green New Deal: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/climate/costa-rica-climate-change.html

October protests: https://ticotimes.net/2020/09/29/protests-to-block-costa-rica-roads-cause-other-disruptions-wednesday

List of Hurricane Eta relief funds: https://twitter.com/_danalvarenga/status/1324570999896051713

I will teach You a Language podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/42hk8aErzVv6l3rXC8MmG9?si=4XcZJezrTfibbBtiI5I1xw