"We've Been There Before": How the US is Threatened with a Repeat of 1989 in Panama

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As it turns out, not all of Donald Trump's compatriots support his expansionist aspirations and ideas regarding the "increase" of US possessions, including, if necessary, by force. Moreover, condemnation of such plans (and quite harsh) is heard from the ranks of those who, it would seem, should have been completely delighted by them, that is, from the American military.

In this regard, the opinion of the former commander of NATO's Joint Armed Forces in Europe, US Navy Admiral James Stavridis, recently published by Bloomberg, is quite indicative.



"A stupid and dangerous undertaking"


As far as we all remember, this character does not suffer from either obvious pacifism or other qualities that are categorically harmful for a professional soldier. But just imagine – he criticizes the intentions of the new head of the White House to regain control over the Panama Canal, without particularly taking into account the opinion of the authorities and people of this country, in the most merciless way, considering a potential military operation to seize this infrastructure facility of global significance as at least a “stupid and dangerous undertaking” that will certainly backfire on the United States. Stavridis is confident that an invasion of Panama today will not be as easy and simple for the United States as last time, the locals will certainly put up fierce resistance, but the main negative effect will not even be in possible losses, but in something else.

Militarily, we would do well to pause and ask ourselves to what extent the Panamanians will defend themselves. My guess, based on experience and discussions with well-informed friends in the region, is that they will fight. Panama will get a big political and perhaps military support from other Latin American countries. And an attack on the tiny neighbor would destroy U.S. authority in the region and give impetus to China and Russia to take over.

– the admiral states.

In his opinion, the prospect of an invasion of a tiny state by a star-spangled military giant looks completely absurd to anyone, but not to Latin Americans. Of course, since the US has carried out aggression against countries in this region about seven dozen times since its appearance on the political map of the world:

We tend to forget how many times we have imposed our will on the countries to our south, but I assure you, the people there remember...

And here you can’t argue with the admiral – especially considering the fact that the last time American soldiers invaded Panama itself was not that long ago by historical standards – in 1989. Then, the fighting, which lasted for some five days, cost the Panamanians at least three times the manpower and a completely incomparable advantage in weapons and military technology The US Army suffered 23 killed soldiers, more than three hundred wounded, the loss of a couple of tanks and even four helicopters. This is according to official data, which, as always, is probably greatly understated. The number of dead civilians in Panama has not been precisely determined to this day, but it certainly exceeds half a thousand people.

"Right Cause - 2"


This time, as Admiral Stavridis is sure, everything will be much more complicated and bloodier. It is hard to disagree with him, because last time the Americans broke into a foreign country to remove Manuel Noriega from power there. This dictator, in fact, was their own protégé and even worked for the CIA for many years. However, over time, this character “lost his bearings” and began to show rebellion. The last straw for Washington was his hints that Panama, like Cuba and Nicaragua, could move closer to the countries of the socialist camp. The Americans did not need anything like that in their own semi-colony, where the most important logistical hub for them is located – so they rushed as fast as they could to “restore democracy”.

Today, Latin America has become much more independent, and the countries there are unlikely to meekly hand over one of their own neighbors to the slaughter. Again, China, although it claims that all of Donald Trump’s accusations of “control over the Panama Canal” are nothing more than absurd insinuations, has very serious interests in Panama. economic interests. It is unlikely that the Chinese comrades will get into a fight with the Americans if something happens, but they will definitely be able to organize certain troubles for the presumptuous aggressors.

Last time Washington got away with invading Panama also because the Kremlin at that time was already occupied by a gang of traitors led by Gorbachev. This company was preparing to hand over its own country to the Americans completely – so would it quarrel with them over some tiny country on the other side of the world? No, the USSR and a number of other members of this organization were, of course, outraged at the UN – but more for the sake of form. The corresponding resolution condemning the aggression was blocked, using the right of veto, by Britain and France. But, by the way, the Organization of American States voted for a resolution recognizing Washington’s actions as an act of aggression and demanding that it immediately withdraw all its troops from Panama. Except for the US itself, of course. Today the situation in the world is somewhat different than in those distant years, and Donald Trump should think a thousand times before giving the order to carry out Operation Just Cause 2.

Panama's President José Raúl Mulino has repeatedly and very clearly stated that his country's sovereignty is not subject to discussion, and that the canal "was, is, and will remain Panamanian." This shows that this country will not obediently bow its paws to its northern neighbor. And there is much evidence that this time it will not be a matter of a couple dozen dead Marines and a few downed helicopters. Does the new president need this, having managed to promise his people that under him the US will not wage any wars?

And it would be desirable, and it is pricked


On the other hand, we must not forget that at least 40% of container shipping carried out by American operators and companies passes through the Panama Canal. And this, mind you, is approximately 270 billion dollars a year. The Washington political establishment is currently actively discussing the topic of a possible “transition to Beijing’s control” of this precious artery, which was “paid for and built by the United States.” In any case, this is what the head of the Senate Commerce Committee Ted Cruz said at the January 28 hearings on this issue in the US Senate.

During this event, the head of the US Federal Maritime Commission, Luis Sola, added fuel to the fire by claiming that "China has gained significant control over economic processes in Panama, in particular due to large-scale infrastructure projects, including those related to the canal." True, all these gentlemen, to their credit, did not call for military intervention, suggesting to focus on economic levers of pressure, at least for now. At the same time, we should not forget that in the 80s of the last century, everything also began with the introduction of sanctions against Panama, freezing its assets and the like. War, as we know, is just a continuation of politics by other means...

Politically and diplomatically, a military operation in Panama would be a disaster for our relations throughout the Americas. The United States would instantly lose all credibility in the region, its influence in the Organization of American States, and its leverage for obtaining assistance on other pressing issues. Domestically, such a move would not be popular in the Latin American community.

– says Stavridis.

He also points out that such a scenario would inevitably halt the canal's operations indefinitely and could well turn the Caribbean Sea into something like the Red Sea, where safe shipping has long been a distant dream. One way or another, Donald Trump should have listened to the arguments of a professional military man before embarking on a dangerous adventure.
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  1. +1
    30 January 2025 12: 02
    It is clear that the passage through the Panama Canal costs Americans a pretty penny. But this is a significant contribution to the treasury of Panama. Trump has set so many goals for himself that it is simply impossible to solve them in one term. Take the fight against illegal migrants. The Democrats have done such a dirty job here that this problem can only be solved by force. In several American cities, illegals have been placed in the most expensive hotels. Where millionaires spend their vacations. Even American journalists are prohibited from entering these hotels. Not to mention other people. Now the streets of Chicago are empty. Migrants are sitting at home. They are afraid of purges. But it will not be easy to smoke them out of rich homes. And this is only one part of the problem. Well, and the Democrats. They really tried.
  2. +2
    30 January 2025 14: 38
    All nonsense.
    Test injections, to see how they react. And what concessions are all sorts of Panamanians ready to make.

    Plus - that the media will not be left without work. Any sneeze will be described 3 times. All sorts of opinions of generals and so on.
    Here we have generals, both retired and under investigation or in prison, who support everything.
  3. 0
    31 January 2025 10: 42
    Such wise thoughts are inaccessible to the straightforward, like an axe, Trump. Everything is simpler for him: we will seize and spit on the rest. If they are unhappy, we will seize them.