Thu Jan 02 13:34:18 UTC 2025: **Trump Threatens to Seize Panama Canal, Ignoring Century of US Intervention**
PANAMA CITY – Incoming US President Donald Trump has issued fresh threats against Panama, vowing to potentially retake control of the Panama Canal. Trump’s pronouncements, delivered via social media, accuse Panama of charging “ridiculous” fees and “ripping off” the United States, ignoring the country’s historical context and the long history of US intervention.
Trump’s claims of Panamanian ingratitude for past US “generosity” are widely disputed. Critics point to the US military’s 1989 invasion, “Operation Just Cause,” which resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians in Panama City’s El Chorrillo neighborhood. The operation, which saw the forceful removal of then-dictator Manuel Noriega (despite his ties to the CIA), is seen by many as a brutal display of US power rather than an act of generosity.
Further discrediting Trump’s assertion of generosity, the US oversaw the Panama Canal Zone from 1903 to 1979, a period marked by de facto colonial rule, racial segregation, and the establishment of numerous US military bases. The construction of the canal itself, completed in 1914, involved countless deaths and exploited labor practices. The creation of the Republic of Panama in 1903, facilitated by the US, also underscores the extent of US influence.
Trump’s threats are dismissed by some as a populist ploy to garner support, particularly given his ownership of a luxury Panama City condo with alleged ties to drug money. The timing of Trump’s outburst, coinciding with his impending return to office, reinforces suspicions that the accusations are aimed at his domestic political base.
Panama’s historical relationship with the US, characterized by US intervention and exploitation, casts a long shadow over Trump’s recent pronouncements, highlighting the stark contrast between his rhetoric and the reality of US actions in the region.
First Piper 