Why the U.S. Should Not Take Back the Panama Canal
There were good reasons to return the canal to Panama. Undoing it now would be a geopolitical disaster.
December marked two momentous anniversaries in U.S.-Panamanian relations: the 35th anniversary of the invasion that overthrew dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989 and the 25th anniversary of the handover of the Panama Canal in 1999. But President Donald Trump has recently suggested that he wants to take the Canal back, by force if necessary. Leave aside the immorality of invading a close U.S. ally and stable democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Would the U.S. benefit from reclaiming the Panama Canal, which it constructed and operated until December 1999 The short answer is “No.” The U.S....
Read this article on the Americas Quarterly website. | Subscribe to AQ.
