The Panama Canal
Alfred Sant
Monday, 6 January 2025, 08:00 Last update: about 1 day ago
The comment made recently by Donald Trump about how he would be ready as US President to again take control of the Panama canal served as a reminder of how the name of this country is linked to wider issues than just those raised by the Panama Papers. We have heard a lot about the latter for having laid bare so many scandals.
For long decades, Panama as a country was straitjacketed by the Americans. They pushed the territory of the isthmus - through which the canal now passes to link the west and east coasts of the American continents - to secede from Columbia and become an independent state. With Panama independent, the canal which cuts across it ended under American sovereign military control. Finally during the Jimmy Carter presidency, the US ceded this control to the state of Panama under stringent conditions.
A substantial part of the American establishment remained of the view that Panama had to fully respect US interests, or else... Many within that establishment agree fully or will soon come to agree with Trump's "comment". The way by which, under this approach, neighbouring states are considered is hardly different from how Putin's Russia considers its neighbours.
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https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2025-01-06/blogs-opinions/The-Panama-Canal-6736266906
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