USA intervention in

Panama (1989)

 Antecedents
In Panama in the 60s there was a very weak democracy,

president Arnulfo Arias was in powe but not for much

longer.

-The militarian and political forces were more stronger

and hungry for power

General Omar Torrijos in 1968, led the Coup d'état

which gave rise to the dictatorship.
THE GREAT TRAITOR
Manuel Noriega
-Considered the right hand of Omar Torrijos
-Named head of Military Intelligence
-Ambitious

He had great power and it was coming that he would

be the successor of Torrijos.
The United States knew that Cuba and
communism were close to Central America,
and did not want communism to spread much
further.

The United States was used to having

informant spies, and Manuel Noriega was
one of them.
Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos
1977 The Torrijos-Carter treaty was signed.
In which the USA allowed Panama to make use of its
canal progressively, in exchange for the beginning of a
democracy within the country.

Noriega, hungry for a dictatorship, did not like this.

Shortly after, General Torrijos dies mysteruously in a
plane crash.

-This puts Noriega in a new brand dictatorship as he

sought so much.


Causes

Noriega´s relation with Colombian drug traffickers, and implication in arms

traffic.
The politician of opposition Hugo Spadafora evidentiated the crimes of Noriega
and was brutaly assasinated.
May 1989, repression acts were televised: Many supporters of contrary parties
were attcked during their political campaigns which caused international
indignation.
Noriega declared state of war with the U.S.
The trigger factor was the assasination of a marine of the U.S by a Panamanian
officer.
 Was the last American intervention during Cold War.
What happened?
After all the controversy and dark businesses of Noriega,

United States responded with a rude militar intervention called

in code: "Operación causa justa"in December 1989 with the

unique objective of arresting the General Manuel Antonio

Noriega which was the dictator of Panama.

More than 26,000 soldiers arrived to Panama in December

and in January the 3rd Noriega surrendered

What happened?
Even when the U.S ensure that it was a pacific intervention only

to topple Noriega,
the ONU considered it a flagrant violation of the international

rights.
It is estimated that 20,000 people were left homeless and 23

Americans died.
Guillermo Endara took posetion as legitimate president of

Panama.

Significance
Before: After:
Militarized County De militarized County
Fake democracy Constitutional

Censorship democracy
Military dictatorship Panama control over the

US control over the canal canal

Consequences
The U.S. invasion of Panama cost

the lives of only 23 U.S. soldiers

and three U.S. civilians.

150 soldiers were killed along

with an estimated 500

Panamanian civilians.

Changes
Since the arrest of Noriega,
Panama has have free and
democratic elections.
Article 305 of Panama: The
republic won’t have army.

Actuality
The intervention of the US in Panama is an

event of great importance for the country as it

is remembered as an event that ended with the

21 years old military dictatorship, however it

caused a lot of damage to the Panama

sovereignty and sadness to the Panamanian

families.