Panama to begin exhuming graves from 1989 American invasion from mid December 1989
to early January of 1990
The United States Department of Defense, under the control of former CIA Director and then
Commander-in-Chief, George HW Bush launched a small scale invasion of the Central
American country. The primary objective of the invasion was capture the de facto dictator
of the nation, a rogue general named Manuel
Noriega. From after the Second World War until the US invasion of Panama, Noriega had
worked diligently with United States intelligence agencies, becoming of the most valuable
assets for both the Central Intelligence Agency and Drug Enforcement Agency. He was
regarded by the Reagan administration as an invaluable ally in the War on Drugs. This
is quite ironic because Manuel Noriega was also a huge ally to Central and South
American drug lords. In exchange for bribes, the cartels and various narcotics trafficking
groups could move their supplies and money in and around Panama without worrying
about legal repercussions. Essentially, Noriega was playing both sides to his own personal
benefit, rubbing shoulders with both US officials and Latin American drug lords all the way
to the bank.
The United States government had several claims as to why they deemed it necessary to
invade the autonomous nation of Panama. For one, They cited the fact that the canal was
still deemed as American territory, and they had a responsibility to protect their country’s
property. It had already been decided that the ownership of the canal would be transferred
over to Panama at the turn of the twenty-first century in the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, a
series of treaties written in 1977 during the Jimmy Carter administration that guaranteed
a smooth transfer of the canal from the US to Panama. In addition to American economic
interests, Panama was also home to roughly 35,000 American civilians. The US military
claimed that due to regional instability, the troops had to be sent in to protect our citizens.
The other reasons had more to do with Noriega. Under his rule, Panama had become a
hotbed of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The US government claimed they
wanted to put a stop to this as well as the other numerous human rights violations that
were being committed under the government of Manuel Noriega.
While different database groups continue to grapple over the exact figure of the losses
incurred, it is generally accepted that the number of Panamanians killed during the fighting
to be from about 500-600, with larger estimates going up to a few thousand. Only 23
Americans were killed in combat.
Following the invasion of Panama, there was international outrage at the United States
and its propensity to levy military action against third world countries, such as Panama.
A vote in the UN to denounce the American invasion of Panama as a violation of
International Law passed 75-20 in the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Today, over 30 years on, Panamanians are still reeling from the invasion that left
many of them homeless or unemployed. Just last month, the Panamanian government
announced that it would begin exhuming bodies left over from the invasion as to bring
closure to the families who are victims of the fighting. Many bodies were left in mass or
unmarked graves. There are many Panamanians who are still asking questions about
what happened to their family three decades ago.
to early January of 1990
The United States Department of Defense, under the control of former CIA Director and then
Commander-in-Chief, George HW Bush launched a small scale invasion of the Central
American country. The primary objective of the invasion was capture the de facto dictator
of the nation, a rogue general named Manuel
Noriega. From after the Second World War until the US invasion of Panama, Noriega had
worked diligently with United States intelligence agencies, becoming of the most valuable
assets for both the Central Intelligence Agency and Drug Enforcement Agency. He was
regarded by the Reagan administration as an invaluable ally in the War on Drugs. This
is quite ironic because Manuel Noriega was also a huge ally to Central and South
American drug lords. In exchange for bribes, the cartels and various narcotics trafficking
groups could move their supplies and money in and around Panama without worrying
about legal repercussions. Essentially, Noriega was playing both sides to his own personal
benefit, rubbing shoulders with both US officials and Latin American drug lords all the way
to the bank.
The United States government had several claims as to why they deemed it necessary to
invade the autonomous nation of Panama. For one, They cited the fact that the canal was
still deemed as American territory, and they had a responsibility to protect their country’s
property. It had already been decided that the ownership of the canal would be transferred
over to Panama at the turn of the twenty-first century in the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, a
series of treaties written in 1977 during the Jimmy Carter administration that guaranteed
a smooth transfer of the canal from the US to Panama. In addition to American economic
interests, Panama was also home to roughly 35,000 American civilians. The US military
claimed that due to regional instability, the troops had to be sent in to protect our citizens.
The other reasons had more to do with Noriega. Under his rule, Panama had become a
hotbed of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The US government claimed they
wanted to put a stop to this as well as the other numerous human rights violations that
were being committed under the government of Manuel Noriega.
While different database groups continue to grapple over the exact figure of the losses
incurred, it is generally accepted that the number of Panamanians killed during the fighting
to be from about 500-600, with larger estimates going up to a few thousand. Only 23
Americans were killed in combat.
Following the invasion of Panama, there was international outrage at the United States
and its propensity to levy military action against third world countries, such as Panama.
A vote in the UN to denounce the American invasion of Panama as a violation of
International Law passed 75-20 in the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Today, over 30 years on, Panamanians are still reeling from the invasion that left
many of them homeless or unemployed. Just last month, the Panamanian government
announced that it would begin exhuming bodies left over from the invasion as to bring
closure to the families who are victims of the fighting. Many bodies were left in mass or
unmarked graves. There are many Panamanians who are still asking questions about
what happened to their family three decades ago.
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