Republic of Panama

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Republic of Panama
República de Panamá
Flag of Republic of Panama
Flag
Coat of arms of Republic of Panama
Coat of arms
Location of Republic of Panama
Capital
and largest city
Panama City
Official languagesSpanish
Dominant mode of productionCapitalism
Area
• Total
75,417 km²
Population
• 2022 estimate
4,337,768


Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a transcontinental country connecting South America and North America. Between 1856 and 1989, the United States invaded Panama 24 times.[1]

History

In 1903, when Colombia rejected a U.S. proposal to build a canal through its province of Panama, the U.S. Navy helped separatists declare independence and pressured them to sign a treaty with the USA. If they refused, the USA would led Colombia retake the territory. Panama signed the treaty, giving the USA control of 553 square miles and allowing it to invade any part of Panama.[1]

In 1947, protests began against the 134 U.S. military bases occupying Panama. The National Assembly unanimously rejected the occupation, but the USA refused to leave.[2]

From the 1940s to the 1990s, the United States tested chemical weapons including mustard gas, VX, sarin, Agent Orange, and cyanide in Panama.[3] The CIA helped one of Manuel Noriega's allies win the 1984 presidential election.[4] In 1989, the USA invaded and bombed Panama, killing thousands of Panamanians and leaving 15,000 more homeless.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 David Vine (2020). The United States of War: 'The Military Opens Doors' (p. 208). Oakland: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520972070 [LG]
  2. David Vine (2020). The United States of War: 'The Spoils of War' (p. 277). Oakland: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520972070 [LG]
  3. William Blum (2002). Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower: 'United States Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons Abroad' (p. 97). [PDF] Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 9781842772201 [LG]
  4. William Blum (2002). Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower: 'Perverting Elections' (p. 146). [PDF] Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 9781842772201 [LG]
  5. William Blum (2002). Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower: 'A Concise History of United States Global Interventions, 1945 to the Present' (pp. 130–131). [PDF] Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 9781842772201 [LG]