Former Panamanian strongman, Manuel Antonio Noriega

Panama is a nation shrouded in mystery. From its questionable beginnings, when the country was plied from Colombia via a U.S.-backed coup, to the shady dealings during the 80s Cold War era, Panama has always been a land rich with untold history, fascinating characters and high-stakes political double dealings.

Because of its checkered past and the political and economic importance that comes along with The Canal, conspiracy theories about Panama abound. Among the more interesting:

5. Omar Torrijos Was Murdered — The beloved dictator, supposed CIA stooge and predecessor to Noriega was a fierce proponent of the turnover of the Panama Canal. He negotiated treaties in 1978 that eventually led to the U.S. exit in 1999. This was obviously not a popular position with a lot of people.

John Perkins, self-proclaimed “economic jackal” and author of “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” spoke of his relationship with Torrijos in an interview:

JOHN PERKINS: “Well, Omar, again, was very stalwartly standing up to the United States, demanding that the Panama Canal should be owned by Panamanians. And I spent a lot of time with Torrijos, and I liked him very, very much as an individual. He was extremely charismatic, extremely courageous and very nationalistic about wanting to get the best for his people. And I couldn’t corrupt him. I tried everything I could possibly do to bring him around. And as I was failing, I was also very concerned that something would happen to him. And sure enough—it was interesting that Jaime Roldos’s plane crashed in May, and Torrijos said—got his family together and said, “I’m probably next, but I’m ready to go. We’ve now got the Canal turned over.” He had signed a treaty with Jimmy Carter to get the Canal in Panamanian hands. He said, “I’ve accomplished my job, and I’m ready to go now.” And he had a dream about being in a plane that hit a mountain. And within two months after it happened to Roldos, it happened to Torrijos also.”

Read full article: Economic Hitman

4. Manuel Noriega and Saddam Hussein Were The Same Person — Well, not literally…but there are plenty of folks out there who believe that these dictators were puppets of the U.S. and were both deposed when they overplayed their hands. There are too many websites and articles out there making this comparison to bother linking here.

3. The U.S. Military Never Left — Does the U.S. military still have a substantial presence in Panama? According to the Canal Treaty, all U.S. military presence left Panama in 1999. But many seem to think otherwise. There is plenty of “jungle training” that still goes on in Panama’s mysterious border province, of Darien. But where do they train, if not at a base?

2. Today’s Booming Panama Economy Was Engineered — How did Panama’s economy suddenly go from zero to hero? Why did local banks begin loaning money to condo builders and buyers as if they found the cash on their parents’ dresser? Some conspiracy theorists claim that some 3rd party jump-started the Panama economy to create a more friendly environment for Canal Expansion referendum. If that’s the case, who was behind this? The World Bank? Multinational Corps? The U.S. government? Or maybe, just maybe…it was Keynesian Economics and the “invisible hand” at play.

1. China Runs The Panama Canal — A startling number of right-wing sites seem convinced that China and the People’s Liberation Army has established a beachhead in Panama. This, an excerpt from one of the articles referenced below:

Under the terms of a controversial lease, Panama gave Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. the right to build new port facilities in Balboa, the canal’s only Pacific port, and a major Atlantic port in Cristobal, and to run them up to the next half-century. As Beijing increased its economic muscle in the country, Panama’s politicians gave Hutchison Whampoa the right to control anchorages on both ends of the canal, to hire new pilots to guide ships through the waterway, to block all passage that interferes with the company’s business, to take control of key public roads near the canal and to have right of first refusal for control of some former U.S. military bases.

See related: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_30_15/ai_55481519
And: http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/1999/nov99/psrnov99.html

Whether you believe some, all or none of these theories, it sure is fun to speculate that some “man behind the curtain” is controlling the fate of Panama. Regardless of the veracity, it certainly makes living here in “Noriegaville” interesting.

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PanamaTravels.com is a Panama real estate directory, news blog and information site dedicated to delivering fresh original content daily.

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Filed under: News, Politics on April 1st, 2008