Bridge Woes for Nicaragua

Ortega's Bridge Over Troubled Waters

By: Tim Rogers

Nicaragua Dispatch and Prensa Latina  

March 1, 2012

Citation: http://tinyurl.com/7afhqbkhttp://tinyurl.com/86e9qhz

President Daniel Ortega and Japanese Ambassador Jiro Shibasaki trekked to the Río San Juan Wednesday afternoon to lay the ceremonial cornerstone to the $30 million, Japanese-funded Santa Fé Bridge, which will cross the Nicaraguan river and connect to Costa Rica.

Article clipped, see link for details.

Did you know that 95% of road construction machinery in Nicaragua comes from Japan in the form of technical assistance? Apparently this relationship is not new; Japan has been funding road work projects in Nicaragua for the last twenty years. All this is coming to light with the recent cornerstone-laying of the Santa Fe Bridge, a Japanese funded venture, that will link Nicaragua to Costa Rica. The idea is that one completed in 2014, the bridge will allow for increased trade, tourism, and economic development between the two countries and that it will have wider implications for Central American cooperation. The Japanese ambassador said that the bridge will unite Nicaragua and Costa Rica, allowing for increased development. The ambassador also indicated Nicaragua's "priority" status for Japanese aid, and commented on Nicaragua's solidarity after the 2011 Japanese earthquake. The laying of the cornerstone was quite anti-climatic, and was accompanied by a bizarre speech from el Presidente Ortega. Ortega's speech, far from being prepared or lengthy, was mild prattle. Instead of mentioning the border conflict with Costa Rica, the Tico highway project across the river, the evils of capitalism, or his good buddy Tio Chavez, Ortega exchanged niceties with engineers. Then, in another bizarre turn of events, the event just fizzled out; he concluded abruptly, placing the first stop after bumbling over his words, and then it was over.

As you may have noticed, many of our posts indicate the presence of China and Iran in Latin America (see posts on Foxconn assembly-line, Taiwan student loans, and Iranian involvement in Latin America), and what this means in terms of globalization and development efforts in Latin America. Yet, these are not the only countries who appear to be investing in Latin America. Japan has long been a player in this mix, donating money to Nicaragua to deal with some must needed infrastructure maintenance. As other bloggers have asked before me, my first question is why? Why is Japan showering Nicaragua with $30 million dollars to fund a huge bridge, the biggest of its kind in the country, in Nicaragua. Is it because of the outpouring of solidarity that the Nicaraguan government showed to Japan after last year's devastating earthquake? I know that Japan is a very generous donor country in terms of foreign assistance. But still, I wonder about Japan's motivations for aid in Nicaragua.

I was also interested in how the article highlighted the issues that Ortega didn't speak about. In my mind, perhaps the most pressing were the issues that have to deal with Nicaragua's southern (and more well off neighbor), Costa Rica. From my own personal experiences in Costa Rica, I know that there are some rivalries between the two countries. Many Nicaraguans I met in Costa Rica encountered difficulties related to prejudices. I think it's interesting that Nicaragua and Japan both perceive this bridge as a way to unite these two countries in a very literal way. However, I think that without addressing other issues, like the border problem or the Nicaraguan environmental concerns with the Tico highway across the river in Costa Rica, this bridge may bring more harm than good. On the other hand though, perhaps the benefits of the bridge (increased trade, more jobs, potential increases in tourism) will actually help better relations between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

Finally, in light of my post on the drug war and its affect on education in El Salvador, I wonder what this bridge will mean in terms of the deadly business of the drug trade in Latin America. Will its construction allow for an even easier pathway for drugs to make their way from Costa Rica to Nicaragua and onwards to places like El Salvador and Mexico? It's definitely an interesting point to consider. After all, while Ortega has proclaimed that Nicaragua is winning the war against drugs (see: http://www.nicaraguadispatch.com/features/is-nicaragua-winning-the-war-on-drugs/3099), the country's drug seizures have decreased, according to a State Department report. So, my lingering question is, what will the effects of this bridge be? Will we see an increased ease of drug trafficking through Nicaragua? Will it benefit trade and relations between Costa and Nica?