Arias, Oscar (1940–)

Oscar Arias was president of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and reelected for the presidency for the 2006–2010 period. Oscar Arias was also the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 and has written books about political groups in Costa Rica.

Arias was born in 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica. Member of an affluent family dedicated to the production of coffee, he studied economics and law at the University of Costa Rica. As a college student, Arias became involved in politics as a member of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), a social democratic party. In 1967, he moved to England to pursue graduate studies. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1974 from Essex with a dissertation titled ¿Quién gobierna en Costa Rica? (Who governs in Costa Rica?).

On his return to Costa Rica, Arias resumed his political involvement with the PLN. As a member of the PLN, he became minister of national planning and [Page 192]political economy from 1972 to 1976, international secretary of the party in 1975, general secretary of the party in 1979, and member of the legislature from 1978 to 1981.

In 1986, Oscar Arias was elected president of Costa Rica. His presidency was marked by the armed conflicts in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Contrary to the previous administration official position of “neutrality,” Arias promoted a more active role and sought diplomatic solutions to the conflicts in the region. With these efforts, he challenged the U.S. policy in Central America. In 1987, he proposed a peace plan and convinced the presidents of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua to sign the Esquipulas II Accords. The same year, Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The funds awarded were used to create the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress, which focused on the promotion of women rights, demilitarization, and conflict resolution.

In 2006, after the approval of a controversial constitutional amendment allowing presidential reelection, Arias became president for a second term. The 2006 election was one of the most contested elections in modern Costa Rican history, with Arias obtaining 40.9% of the votes against 39.8% for the opposition. The decisive issue in the 2006 election was Arias's support for the ratification of the CAFTA (Central America Free Trade Agreement) with the United States.

Oscar Arias's intellectual work has as a main focus the role of pressure groups. This focus includes not only the interference in governmental decisions on the part of special interest groups but also social movements and organizations that could exert any degree of nonformal influence over governments and political parties. In his publications, Arias defines social movements as formed mainly by activists, whom he considers as a minority that could become a majority in the future.