Panama was originally created by the US in 1903 so that they could build a canal between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Noriega, Panama’s defacto leader, was in league with the US, the CIA, and the Drug Enforcement Agency until 1986. In June 1987 violent popular demonstrations erupted in the streets, due to reports of election fraud and Noriega’s involvement in major human rights abuses. In February 1988, Noriega was charged by

While the invasion was popular (80% of Americans supported the invasion), it also violated international law and set back the gains that international law had been making in inter-state relations. According to Article 18 of the revised Organization of American States’ (O.A.S.) Charter, of which the U.S. is a member, “No State of group of States has the right to intervene, directly of indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other state”. The U.S. invasion was condemned by a vote of 75-25 in the UN General Assembly and a landslide of 20-1 in an O.A.S. vote. The invasion may have created short term benefits to the U.S., for instance the arrest of Noriega and a continuance of involved control of the Panama Canal, but the intervention did little on the drug trade if any. The New York Times actually reported that the drug trade immediately following the invasion actually increased.

At the end of 1989, the Noriega crisis had grown to more critical proportions. The U.S. public wanted Bush to fulfill his campaign promise to combat drugs. Failure of the Giroldi coup to oust Noriaga’s power and the fact that the U.S. had to relinquish to Panama the right to appoint the head of the Panama Canal Commission by January 1, 1990 was a message to Bush that the U.S. government might have to use force to insure the security of the Panama Canal to U.S. shipping lines, as well as insure the U.S. public that Noriega and his charges where to be dealt with.

The leaders of the United States try hard to maintain their firm grasp on the Panama Canal and many other economic interests throughout the world on a daily basis. The American freedom and way of life is dearly important to all Americans; Though the use of force and military action against a people only to capture one person is highly un-ethical and deserves no gratitude. Persuasion, warnings, negotiations, sanctions, and threats all failed to convince Noriega to resign, as well as Saddam to withdraw from Kuwait. Lengthy negotiations and moderate means may send the wrong signals to corrupt authoritarian leaders who play foreign

Some topics in this essay:
Giroldi Noriega’s, Panama Canal, Richard Barnet, Roberto Herrera, Defense Force, Enforcement Agency, Kuwait Lengthy, City Mainly, Unfortunately Panamanian, American-Panamanian Canal, panama canal, international law, money laundering, defense force, drug trafficking, drug trade, panama canal economic, february 1988, canal economic,