Nice first-person tale of your experiences Karin - and good to reconnect with you from the old NOIE days.
I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment in relation to the military culture in the US and how it infiltrates significant aspects of their society and politics. I can't see it changing anytime soon though, particularly as two wars are currently being fought and large numbers of military bases remain as outposts of US colonialism. One can see this military culture imbued in Hollywood movies and in the continued push to uphold gun ownership as a constitutional right.
Life in Costa Rica seems wonderful in comparison and I hope that its culture is not ruined by investments from abroad

Sounds like it could be a dreamie little country where life is simple and easy on the eyes and heart.
Its too late for the USA.
God has established her with the wealth and expertise to be the worlds policeman.
Unless China and Russia drop their plans for conquest, which isnt likely, the USA is doomed to remain on guard duty.

It wouldnt work for Australia either to repent of her armed forces, not with Indonesia and China looming to the north.

We can always tell a nation if its a threat by looking at what goes on inside that nation.

Human rights in Indonesia and China are terrible. Their armies grow. They get ready.

Australia is likewise trapped as a policeman.
We have the islands and 'small brother' New Zealand to guard.
Best we do a top job and put more into it, much, much more.

The only lesson we can draw from Costa Rica is:

"Be small and insignificant.. don't have many natural resources which can be dug up and exported and squabbled over by multi nationals.
Don't have large ethnic diversity. Be mostly homogenous, and don't occupy a strategic location vital to larger nations security interests"

THEN....you don't have to worry about having an army.

Ethnic groups:

white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%

Natural Resources: hydropower.

That's probably the key.. nothing.... except hydropower.

But if someone discovered OIL there? ohhhh yeah... woopeee... the bun fight would be onnnnn

So when things get desperate in the US and people get wind of a lovely little tropical paradise, that doesn’t have an army, there might just be a mass movement....leading to the destruction of any semblance of paradise....which Costa Rica would be powerless to deal with.