Not dealing with interstate wars may be positive in some ways for a region, but overall it can be problematic for the future of the region and its institutions. 4) How did Costa Rica avoid becoming a “banana republic”? (Chapter 18). Costs Rica is a small Latin American country with fewer than five million inhabitants and is currently richer than other Latin American countries. Unlike El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala, Costa Rica has not experienced military coups, dictatorships, violent civil wars, death squads or foreign interventions by the United States, Cuba or outside parties over the past sixty years . Costa Rica has been a stable democracy since 1948, with competitive elections and normal power exchanges between political parties. Costa Rica's development has been based on tropical agricultural products, such as coffee and bananas, and its climate and resources are very similar to those of neighboring countries. Costa Rica from its inception was seen as an isolated and unattractive country, as it lacked precious metals and exploited the indigenous population. The Europeans also saw Costa Rica