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Óscar Rafael de Jesús Arias Sánchez (born 13 September 1940, in Heredia) is a Costa Rican politician. He served as President of the Republic of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990. In 1987 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the civil wars then raging in several Central American countries.
Born to an upper class family in the province of Heredia, Arias concluded his secondary schooling in the United States. He then enrolled in Boston University with the intention of studying medicine, but he soon returned to his home country and completed degrees in law and economics at the University of Costa Rica. In 1967, Arias traveled to the United Kingdom and enrolled in the London School of Economics. He received a doctorate degree in political science from the University of Essex in 1974. In 1997 Arias received a LL.D. from Bates College.
Arias joined the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), Costa Rica's main social democratic party. He ran successfully for president on that party's 1986 ticket. Arias's presidency saw the transformation of Costa Rica's economy from one based on the traditional cash crops (coffee and bananas) to one more focused on non-traditional agriculture (e.g., of exotic flowers and fruits) and tourism. Some within the PLN criticized his administration for abandoning the party's social democrat teachings and promoting a neoliberal economic model.
Arias received the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards the signing of the Esquipulas II Accords. This was a plan to promote democracy and peace on the Central American isthmus during a time of great turmoil and outside influence in the midst of the Cold War. Partly due to the collapse of the Soviet-led Communist block that had traditionally supported leftist governments and insurgencies in Central America, the signing of the accords were indeed followed by an end to most of the fighting in Central America.
Arias then called for a higher level of integration in the Central America region and promoted the creation of the Central American Parliament (Parlamento Centroamericano). To date, the only Central American country that has not yet signed the treaty is Costa Rica. Arias also modified the country's educational system. The most notable action in this respect was the reintroduction of academic tests at the end of primary and secondary school.
After a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court voided an amendment to the constitution that forbade presidential reelection, Arias announced in 2004 that he intended to run for president in the February 2006 general elections.
External links
- Official website of the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress
- Óscar Arias Sánchez's Project Syndicate op/eds