Costa Rica: Neutrality Pays Off

Amid the chronic bloodletting of Central America, Costa Rica stands out as an oasis of calm. But when the quadrennial presidential elections roll around, the country erupts into a celebration of its nearly century-old democracy that resembles nothing quite so much as a homecoming football game. Music blares, drivers honk, and flags decorate the streets. The Feb. 2 elections were no different. After more than 1 million voters went to the polls, Oscar Arias Sanchez of the ruling National Liberation Party emerged triumphant with 52.3% of the vote, defeating the Social Christian Unity Party's Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier, who claimed 45.7%...