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Manuel Noriega | |
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| Born | February 11, 1934 Panama City, Panama |
| Died | May 29, 2017 (aged 83) Panama City, Panama |
| Political party | Democratic Revolutionary Party |
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian military officer and politician who was the military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989. Although never officially serving as president of Panama, Noriega was highly influential over Panamanian politics from the 1968 coup until the U.S. turned on him and invaded Panama in 1989.
Noriega’s brutal regime was supported by the CIA, which allowed him to grow wealthy through corruption and drug trafficking in return for helping U.S. operations in Central America. After the Iran-Contra scandal drew U.S. attention elsewhere, Noriega sought ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Libya, angering the United States. This led to the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, where Noriega was captured, tried for crimes the U.S. had previously enabled, and imprisoned until his death in 2017.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Jonah Walters (2017-05-31). "“Just Cause” and Its Aftermath" Jacobin. Archived from the original on 2025-11-05.