Post No. 3

Like many western nations at the moment, Panama is currently experiencing a surge in nationalist sentiments. Nationalism, according to the dictionary is "identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations." In certain countries, "nationalism" is an understatement. Unlike many other countries, however, the sentiment of nationalism is nothing new is Panama. The interference of many foreign countries in Panama's history has led to a sense of distrust and dislike towards many other countries, especially the United States. France was the first nation to begin constructing the famous Panama Canal in the late nineteenth century, immediately followed by Colombia. The United States, fresh off of a victory against Spain after the Spanish American War Since the erection of the Panama Canal by the United States in 1914, there has been an underlying sense of hostility from many Panamanians towards the United States government.

The United States, having constructed the Panama Canal, enjoyed the benefits of it more than Panama, the original owner of the land as the land was declared legally United States territory. The animosity between the two nations over the issue of the Panama Canal came to a head for the first time in 1956 after then President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the waterway, taking the ownership away from France and England for the first time in nearly one hundred years and causing an international crisis. France and England, not willing to be humiliated by Nasser, invaded Egypt with their local ally Israel, who was more than willing to go to war with their Arabic neighbor. Facing intense pressure from the United States and Soviet Russia, France, England, and Israel were forced to withdraw. Following the Suez Canal Crisis, a conference was called in which Egypt emerged victorious. As the Suez and Panama Canal are often compared, the victory for self-determination by the Egyptians gave the Panamanians hope. These hopes, however, would continue to be squandered by both the United States and Panamanian governments for years to come.

" The Egyptian nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956 raised new hopes in the republic, because the two canals were frequently compared in the world press. Despite Panama's large maritime fleet (the sixth greatest in the world), Britain and the United States did not invite Panama to a special conference of the major world maritime powers in London to discuss Suez. Expressing resentment, Panama joined the communist and neutral nations in a rival Suez proposal.

United States secretary of state John Foster Dulles's unqualified statement on the Suez issue on September 28, 1956 — that the United States did not fear similar nationalization of the Panama Canal because the United States possessed "rights of sovereignty" there — worsened matters."

Panama would not receive ownership of the Panama Canal until December 31st, 1999.

Inequality still remains to be a major issue in Panama, however the situation has improved a great deal in recent years. Despite past economic hardship, the economy of Panama has done well in the last couple decades, primarily due to their highly international economy. In conjunction with their ownership of the panama canal, many businesses are based in Panama City due to its reputation as a tax haven.

"In the last 25 years, Panama has witnessed the highest economic growth in Latin America and foresees a prosperous future. However, analysts at the International Monetary Fund point out a problem in the country: there is inequality. The evidence confirms that it is not necessarily a problem because inequality is not synonymous with poverty."

"In 2010, 22% of the population of Panama was poor. The figure dropped to 13% in 2018, and the trend continues. In the last four years, 150,000 citizens have come out of poverty amid the arrival of 94,000 Venezuelan migrants in a country that has four million inhabitants."

Panama has a GINI index of 49.2. For Comparison, the United States has a GINI index of 34.8. While the country still has its fair share of inequality, they have been pretty successful economically since their acquisition of the Panama Canal in 1999.