The recent demands by US President Donald Trump for the Panama Canal to be returned to the United States have stirred up memories of 1989 in Panama. According to the Financial Times, many Panamanians are reminded of the US military’s intervention in the country, which ousted the government of General Manuel Noriega in December of that year.
Isaias Blades, a Panamanian street vendor who as a child took shelter from US military helicopters, expressed his frustration to the FT, saying, “Trump should respect the Panamanian flag, just as we respect the American flag.”
While few believe that Trump intends to invade Panama militarily, the country, with a population of just 4.5 million, is militarily weak, the FT reports. It has no army and limited experience in warfare.
“We are concerned”a high-ranking Panamanian official told the FT in an informal interview, adding, “We think there could be a kind of revenge if Trump doesn’t get what he wants. We’ll see what’s on the negotiating table.”
Regarding Trump’s statement that China operates the Panama Canal, Ilya Espino de Marotta, the canal’s deputy administrator, clarified that China has no influence over the waterway. All contracts awarded to Chinese companies are transparent, she emphasized, adding, “It will be operated 100 percent by Panamanians and we are neutral to all countries.”
Trump’s concerns about the Panama Canal were already expressed during his first term as US president, the FT reports. In a private meeting with then-Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela at the White House in 2017, Trump discussed the canal’s tolls and ownership structure.
Until its complete transfer to Panama in 1999, the Panama Canal, built in 1914, was controlled by the United States. In 1977, then-US President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty with Panamanian General Omar Torrijos, which granted Panama free control over the waterway and guaranteed its permanent neutrality.