Bret Stephens' masterclass in bad logic

The small country of Costa Rica, home to just over five million people and roughly the size of West Virginia, has long prided itself on being a bastion of democratic norms in Latin American politics.

To its north lie Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, nations that, over the past several decades, have experienced periods of near-social collapse and outright dictatorship. Nearby Colombia and Venezuela have wrestled with their own, well-documented crises. By contrast, Costa Rica has consistently ranked high among global democracy watchdogs, which have pointed to its strong institutional protections for voting rights, its high literacy rate, and its reputation for civic stability as hallmarks of a healthy and vibrant political system.