America is a liar nation. Its capos think OTHERS are to be exploited. The OTHERS who try to stop this American exploitation become marked for destruction. Destruction of their reputation (through entrapment, fake-news, etc.) and if they can even stand such attacks, physical destruction of their countries and them and their families.
Saddam Husein (of Irak), Gaddafi of Libya, Allende (of Chile) are examples of America predatory life-style.
Saddam Husein (of Irak), Gaddafi of Libya, Allende (of Chile) are examples of America predatory life-style.
4
Ousted by America, is not an example of a country that has escaped the trap of violent Imperialism that made America the Bully Military Might for the American investor class. It is instead one of a long series of bad decisions that has created fear, rebellion, and violent resistance and retaliation that we call by many names, including ISIS. Until America stops the investor class misuse of the American military abroad and now here st home. Shame is the responsibility we should acknowledge, not pride in such incisions to steal other nations resources in the name of spreading the notion of democracy, a political state that Americans no longer can claim to have. Ask why... and it is obvious. Corporate initiated wars to steal and transport American resources for export are now taking place on our soil. Nestles, Exxon, Wells Fargo are just a few of the imperialists stealing American resources and using American police to stop resisters.
3
On Monday, December 18, 2 days before the invasion, my local radio station announced that Panama was reporting that America was planning to invade Panama.
I thought Panama must be crazy.
I thought Panama must be crazy.
Oh let's complain about Russia in neighbor Ukraine but let's us not discuss our hateful imperialist policies against Panama, Honduras, Cuba and most of South America. How many governments have we removed not only there but how about in the Middle East?.
17
Like so many American-backed Cold War dictators like Ngo Dinh Diem or Rafael Trujillo, Noriega was not toppled because he exploited and abused his own people. Rather, Noriega and the others were toppled because they made the mistake of biting the hand that fed them.
7
Why does America side up with dictators?
5
A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!
1
What I do not see is the part he played in the "conflict" in Nicaragua when funding was cut off by Congress for being able to supply weapons to fight Mr Ortega and the Cuban military. Mr Ortega is still in power. Yes Manuel became to big for his britches and paid the price as anyone who does not want to "play ball" with the USA.
4
As with Manuel Noriega, we also trained Saddam Hussein, beginning when he was a 26-year old thug-hitman involved in the assassination of a populist Iraq politician who didn't give US oil corporations good enough prices. We guided and supported Saddam's career, even when he gassed the Kurds and attacked Iran, to the bitter end, when he got "too big for his britches" and invaded Kuwait, with what he thought was our blessing (read about April Glasbie's deceitful messaging to Saddam before the invasion). Even after his invasion of Kuwait, we let Saddam keep power, until he did something--I'm not sure what, but it probably involved oil engineering contracts with Haliburton--to offend the Bush-Cheney regime. With our paranoia and thirst for revenge after 9-11, we accused Saddam of having Weapons of Mass Destruction. If he ever did, our corporations and those of our European allies sold them to him! We bombed Baghdad, killing moms, babies, kids and old men, who thought we were their friends. We hunted down Saddam and kidnapped him like we kidnapped Manuel Noriega. Saddam was hanged, Noriega was allowed to live, though kept conveniently and quietly out of the way in France, because he did keep his vow of "Omerta" about the dirt he knew concerning US foreign policy, drug dealing and money-laundering by US politicians, bankers, and others.
12
How much money did Halliburton, Lockheed, Exxon -Mobil, etc. make. Profit is all that matters.. don't cha know that?
5
Next time readers see their liberal friends cutting white powder with a razor, say a little prayer and sigh for Noriega. He was their man in Panama!
Noriega isn't very different from dictators in other Central American and South American countries. The fact that he wasn't playing ball with the U.S. had dire consequences; we no longer have the bargaining chip to reign in dictators. Trump models himself on leaders like Noriega, while discarding our democratic friends in Europe. Having spent a lot of time in Panama, I can attest to the poverty and lack of opportunity for those born without privilege. Let's hope the beautiful country of Panama models itself after Costa Rica more, environmentally, the surge in tourism would help bolster their economy.
7
No sympathy. Makes you wonder how many deaths he was responsible for.
4
Noriega was doing okay until he started biting the hand that fed him. We help folks get into power and we take them out when they make us unhappy. This is not a secret and the reason why so many countries look at us with caution. They know we play both sides of the fence at the same time.
14
Not true, they move the fence and taxpayers get annoyed.
Too much left out of this article... and an aside, it was the first time that I saw a "branded" US military effort. Operation Just Cause. I was kind of shocked by it, I think some images that day even showed citizens in t-shirts with that name. A weird, manipulative practice that continues to this day.
10
Come on Mr Archibold, the conservatives wanted "their" canal back. That Noriega was a drug dealing dictator had little to do with the attack on Panama.
This was as pathetic a thing to do as Granada.
This was as pathetic a thing to do as Granada.
11
Having lived in Panama for 21 years (1974-1995), I can assure you that this is a "very vanilla" obituary as it relates to the US relationship with Noriega. His character was well known to US officials decades before he came to power in Panama. Indeed, inasmuch as the infamous School Of the Americas was founded at Ft. Gulick, a US army post on the Atlantic side of the isthmus, Manuel Antonio was just another in a long line of "distinguished" SOTA graduates that were happy to support authoritarian regimes in Central and South America in order to provide the "stability" in government favored by corporations of all stripes.
Good for business; people and peasants? Not near so much.
Good for business; people and peasants? Not near so much.
14
Our invasion of Panama and abduction of Noriega, both without the constitutionally required declaration of war, was a major step in the development of a military and foreign policy that gives the Executive branch more power than the law permits and presumes that the United States may intervene wherever its so-called security, a word deceptively used as synonym for interest, is at stake.
Such conduct has made us more enemies than friends in the world, and damaged the rule of law at home. The precedent is particularly dangerous when the commander-in-chief is grandiose and has no respect for constitutional limits on his power.
Congress should have reigned in the Executive many administrations ago. Given that bad habits are hard to break, there is no reason to expect this congress to reign in this president.
Such conduct has made us more enemies than friends in the world, and damaged the rule of law at home. The precedent is particularly dangerous when the commander-in-chief is grandiose and has no respect for constitutional limits on his power.
Congress should have reigned in the Executive many administrations ago. Given that bad habits are hard to break, there is no reason to expect this congress to reign in this president.
33
Congress wants the same things as The White House regarding foreign policy, so they quietly authorize the President to take military action and let the White House take the blame (or credit)....
2
My reaction to most of these comments is that if the NYT is not leftist anti-American enough for you, you probably should consider heading somewhere else where you will be happier. Say, Iran.
2
Certainly that is what many hope, but some are determined to fight fascism in all its ugly forms and will stay for the fight. Eventually with some education the ignorant masses will perhaps realize they were duped.
12
Another typical alt-right false dilemma -- or has it not occurred to you that the lessor of two evils is still an evil?
Compared to the absolute psychopaths the US put in power in Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., ... Noriega was a relative saint. Underlies what a farce international law is.
14
US administrations didn't seem so perturbed by the thousands massacred by the Argentinian generals, Pinochet in Chile, the paramilitary death squads in Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador.
The hundreds of Panamanian killed in Bush's invasion to apprehend Noriega never got much press attention in the US either.
The hundreds of Panamanian killed in Bush's invasion to apprehend Noriega never got much press attention in the US either.
17
Noriega was a CIA operative and known drug dealer...until he decided to strike out on his own and take over Panama as a dictator.
Only then did the CIA have a problem with him being a drug dealer.
Ask the Bush family.
They know this story well.
Only then did the CIA have a problem with him being a drug dealer.
Ask the Bush family.
They know this story well.
15
The New York Times just covered the Noriega story with the same selective omission of salient detail as they demonstrated when covering the Sanders campaign. Enough said.
12
Trump did not say anything about the two young men killed while defending the honor of two Muslim women, but the death of Noriega, no doubt will move him as his affiliation for strong men leaves no doubt as to where his allegiance lies.
5
Manuel Noriega was one of the Iran/Contra Guns for Drugs conspirators. Reagan only toppled him as a means to quiet him when he decided to go independent. His was one of the countries where planes would load up with CIA cocaine and fly to CIA airfields in the USA, some 'privately owned' and some military. Many secrets about George Bush's CIA died with him.
11
The drug trade , diplomatic duplicity and killing of an American soldier in Panama City were the straws that broke the camel's back . But the fundamental reason that our government moved against Noriega was ensure that the Republic of Panama would be a stable country with regularly elected leaders by the time it handed over control of the Canal and Canal Zone at midnight , December 31 , 1999 . The world cannot afford to have the Panama Canal controlled by a tin pot dictator . It must be operated in an efficient fashion without prejudice toward any country .
One of the provisions of the 1977 Carter - Torrijos Treaty specifies that the U.S. has the perpetual right to intervene should the operation of the Canal ever be threatened .
One of the provisions of the 1977 Carter - Torrijos Treaty specifies that the U.S. has the perpetual right to intervene should the operation of the Canal ever be threatened .
10
Like Saddam another casualty of Bush-CIA deals done under Reagan.
10
The US has yet to come up with a strategy for dealing with dictators who ignore and trample on human rights. We have coddled them (Somoza, The Shah, Marcos, Noriega), toppled them (Noriega once we were done with him), ignored them (Pinochet, Assad and a host of other non-strategic countries) and kowtowed to them (Russia, China, Saudi Arabia right now).
Never does it end well. Coddling dictators leaves us despised by the people who thought we stood for something. Toppling them leaves us with the cost of innocent lives ended by invasions, and then a nation-building mess. Kowtowing to them creates long term problems for what are usually short term commercial gains.
I don't know the right answer for these situations, but I do know that we haven't yet found it.
Never does it end well. Coddling dictators leaves us despised by the people who thought we stood for something. Toppling them leaves us with the cost of innocent lives ended by invasions, and then a nation-building mess. Kowtowing to them creates long term problems for what are usually short term commercial gains.
I don't know the right answer for these situations, but I do know that we haven't yet found it.
10
The answer is called the LAW. You can't pick and choose who follows it and who doesn't. You can't arbitrarily decide when and where to follow it and when not to.
7
There is some veracity to what you say , but not in the case of Panama . Panama has thrived well beyond our expectations at no cost to us after we toppled Noriega's regime . Thanks to the Canal and a symbiotic relationship with the USA since its independence from Colombia , the Republic of Panama has become a commercial and banking magnate - - - a Latin American Singapore , if you will . Furthermore , American expats are moving there to take advantage the benefits of its attractive residency program . Panama has a very bright future , and the chances of it being once again ruled by a military strong man are remote .
1
The US, led by George Bush Sr, invaded Panamá in 1989, killed more than 7 thousand mostly very poor people, kidnapped the uncooperative military leader of the country (he refused to collaborate in the US's criminal war against Ncaragua), and replaced him with a rich banker (Guillermo Endara) whose bank was one of the most important launderers of drug money in the Americas.
19
Si, esto es la verdad!
"...Mr. Noriega sold Fidel Castro thousands of Panamanian passports, at $5,000 each, for use by Cuban secret agents and possibly agents of other Soviet bloc nations."
….Trump….Kushner….and just about every American politician has engaged in similar schemes…America is the most hypocritical of all nations combined. The worst. A real wolf in sheeps clothing.
"...Mr. Noriega sold Fidel Castro thousands of Panamanian passports, at $5,000 each, for use by Cuban secret agents and possibly agents of other Soviet bloc nations."
….Trump….Kushner….and just about every American politician has engaged in similar schemes…America is the most hypocritical of all nations combined. The worst. A real wolf in sheeps clothing.
7
In 1989 the United States invaded another country and kidnapped their President. It remains one of the most egregious things our Government has ever done. Off the top of your head; do you know what "crimes" he was charged with? Guess he fared better than Allende and Diem.
15
Simply put: Rodrigo Duterte. Or put another way: how many times will our government tragically repeat our horrific mistakes because we ignore history.
4
Two words: Rodrigo Duterte. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
6
Typical NYT omissions to soften this man's image. What they left out was Noriega's involvement with the CIA as far back as the 1960s where he was instrumental in the betrayal of agents during the so called Operation Cuarenta, an aborted assassination attempt on Fidel Castro. Noriega covered his tracks, but our agents disappeared into gulags never to be heard from again.
5
We can kidnap Noriega, invade Grenada, embargo Cuba for half a century, etc. etc., but how dare Russia fiddle around with Ukraine and other neighboring countries.
Who do the Russians think they are!?!?!?! Us? Well, they're not.
Who do the Russians think they are!?!?!?! Us? Well, they're not.
11
Another person we overthrew in a foreign country, frequently not always for the better. Until the current president, we would have considered it an outrage if another country removed our leader from office.
9
We have been overthrowing governments for decades. Look up the 1953 Coup in Iran. That was the CIA. The elected President of that country was going to force the oil companies to sell the wells back to the people of Iran. (Not the only country where this happened.) Now you know why we aren't so respected there. Now you understand why Rex Tillerson is Secretary of State.
7
By what authority did the United State have a right to invade Panama in 1989?
How many Panamanians were killed in the invasion?
Two questions that are often ignored.
How many Panamanians were killed in the invasion?
Two questions that are often ignored.
13
I have only read a few comments, and while the number of commenters believe Noriega was an evil man, who deservedly spent the last 30 years of his life in prison. However, I am more inclined to believe the facts posted by other commenters in that it has been substantiated that he played important roles in assisting the US Government, probably as an asset for the CIA, as the middle man who assisted the criminal Reagan administration in the Iran/Contra scandal, or as an informant against the various Latin American drug cartels.
The timing of our declaration condemning Noriega was conveniently close in proximity to the recent Iran/Contra congressional hearings, and one has to wonder whether the US feared he had damaging information against the US Government and that was the real reason behind "our" decision to take him out.
In many ways he reminds us of past foreign allies, mainly dictators, who have fallen into disfavor with the US government, such as Hussein, who we supported against the Iranians until he was no longer useful as an American asset, and similar to Noriega, was hunted down, but unlike Noriega, he was turned over to own people and hung.
I am sure there other regimes we have supported, or helped overthrow, such as Allende, in SA, where the congressional report was a complete whitewash of American involvement.
In the end, it appears that being a dictatorial asset for the US government is the equivalent of being one of Stalin's closest advisors.
The timing of our declaration condemning Noriega was conveniently close in proximity to the recent Iran/Contra congressional hearings, and one has to wonder whether the US feared he had damaging information against the US Government and that was the real reason behind "our" decision to take him out.
In many ways he reminds us of past foreign allies, mainly dictators, who have fallen into disfavor with the US government, such as Hussein, who we supported against the Iranians until he was no longer useful as an American asset, and similar to Noriega, was hunted down, but unlike Noriega, he was turned over to own people and hung.
I am sure there other regimes we have supported, or helped overthrow, such as Allende, in SA, where the congressional report was a complete whitewash of American involvement.
In the end, it appears that being a dictatorial asset for the US government is the equivalent of being one of Stalin's closest advisors.
Rest in peace
I was recently in the National Museum in Panama City and learned a different narrative.
Yes, Noriega was America's stooge until he became crazy. But the main reason to intervene was the Panama Canal. President Carter returned it to the nation of Panama and that was for many in the US sheer treason and giving up on one of the vital choke points of the world. They wanted the control back. And Noriega gave a convenient excuse to throw the Panamanian government out and install a US puppet.
The canal treaties were hence force renegotiated.
Another unpleasant fact: Noriega and his men fled into a residential neighborhood. The US bombed and flattened the whole part of town, killing 2,000 to 6,000 civilians and hundreds of soldiers.
Bush, the elder made an example of Panama of what it means to go against the empire and violate the Monroe doctrine.
Yes, Noriega was America's stooge until he became crazy. But the main reason to intervene was the Panama Canal. President Carter returned it to the nation of Panama and that was for many in the US sheer treason and giving up on one of the vital choke points of the world. They wanted the control back. And Noriega gave a convenient excuse to throw the Panamanian government out and install a US puppet.
The canal treaties were hence force renegotiated.
Another unpleasant fact: Noriega and his men fled into a residential neighborhood. The US bombed and flattened the whole part of town, killing 2,000 to 6,000 civilians and hundreds of soldiers.
Bush, the elder made an example of Panama of what it means to go against the empire and violate the Monroe doctrine.
14
So the Hate America crowd vents their phony righteous indignation via their Almighty keyboards. sickening. This is what happens when the average Times reader hasn't had a family member in the military for 50-70 years. Were mistakes made? Certainly. Did the US historically support dictators when the leaders OF BOTH PARTIES believed it to be in our strategic best interests? Absolutely. At least in this case a really bad man was taken out. Do you really think any other nation, save Switzerland, which has shrewdly found a way to continually profit from conflict and chaos, has a history any different from ours? The naivete of supposedly educated, intelligent people here is breathtaking. Y'all are free to leave the US at any time and alleviate your angst.
4
I don't hate America, but I do think that the U.S.'s blood-soaked and torture-infested interventions in Central and South America are inexcusable.
12
Clearly, to be a military grunt or sympathizer does not require much thinking. Good job US military!
5
In short, anything can be done to anybody, anywhere in the world so long as it serves "our strategic best interests". And we "naive, educated and intelligent people" are unpatriotic for not being OK with that. And how unreasonable of us -- not to buy the "everybody else does it too" excuse.
This reminds me of the old segregationists who felt that anybody who had a problem which the Jim Crow system was obviously a raving Commie should just move to Russia. Fortunately, we had Martin LUther King (amongst others) to remind us that one doesn't flee injustice and hypocrisy in one's home -- the only way to alleviate one's angst in this situation is to stick around and fight it.
This reminds me of the old segregationists who felt that anybody who had a problem which the Jim Crow system was obviously a raving Commie should just move to Russia. Fortunately, we had Martin LUther King (amongst others) to remind us that one doesn't flee injustice and hypocrisy in one's home -- the only way to alleviate one's angst in this situation is to stick around and fight it.
1
As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama (1999-2002) I met not a single Panamanian who was not affected by Noriega or the U.S. military actions. When the U.S. invaded Chorrera (a neighborhood in Panama City), they bombed and leveled the area and killed many innocent Panamanians. It is a very sad mark on U.S. military history. Panamanians are the most peaceful, loving, and caring people I have ever known, and it is so sad that the U.S. had to do such a thing. Despite this horrible U.S. action just ten years earlier, I was always treated with love and respect as a person from the U.S.
After the 1983 invasion of Grenada, news magazines published pictures of graffiti on the island, all in the same white paint, reading, "Thank you, President Reagan" and "God bless America."
A few years later, I heard a talk by an American sociologist who had spent years working on Grenada, both before and after the invasion. He asked his local friends who had written the graffiti, and no one knew. Finally, he found a man who had gotten up in the middle of the night to relieve himself and had seen some white men in an SUV pull up to a wall and spray paint the graffiti.
Then, in 1991, coverage of the invasion of Panama showed photos of graffiti that read, "Thank you, President Bush" and "God bless America." All in white paint. Coincidence? I don't think so.
A few years later, I heard a talk by an American sociologist who had spent years working on Grenada, both before and after the invasion. He asked his local friends who had written the graffiti, and no one knew. Finally, he found a man who had gotten up in the middle of the night to relieve himself and had seen some white men in an SUV pull up to a wall and spray paint the graffiti.
Then, in 1991, coverage of the invasion of Panama showed photos of graffiti that read, "Thank you, President Bush" and "God bless America." All in white paint. Coincidence? I don't think so.
19
"Manuel Antonio Noriega ... sometime ally of the United States..."
A" sometime ally"? That's quite a phrase!
Along with the likes of the Shah of Iran, Hamid Karzai, Ngo Dình Diem, Augusto Pinochet, Ferdinand Marcos, Francisco Franco...
A" sometime ally"? That's quite a phrase!
Along with the likes of the Shah of Iran, Hamid Karzai, Ngo Dình Diem, Augusto Pinochet, Ferdinand Marcos, Francisco Franco...
36
"The authors estimated that his illicit gains came to at least $772 million." Or as Trump might call it: chump change.
7
Highly doubt Trump would probably call it chump change. If Trump's finances ever saw the light of day, I'd bet the ranch that he is leveraged to the hilt and has little real income -- and one day, his house of financial cards will come tumbling down.
1
#1) Noriega was a School of the America's graduate , so we trained him in his brutal tactics.
#2) No mention that he assumed power with our blessing in part for his good work babysitting the deposed Shah of Iran?
#3) Maybe since the CIA was doing drug trafficking to help out the Contras, maybe he thought it was OK for himself to do it?
#4) The U.S has used the excuse of "attacks" on our service members as a justification for escalated conflict. Mexican-American War, Remember the Maine-the Hell with Spain, The occupation of Veracruz, Mexico by president Wilson, Gulf of Tonkin Incident just to name a few. The December 16th incident has been supposedly whitewashed according to the Panamanian soldiers who were there. That the servicemen tried to run a roadblock and in turn the Panamanians opened fire.
Though I am not a defender of Noriega's policies, Noriega was a useful puppet to the U.S and when he crossed the line we got rid of him.
#2) No mention that he assumed power with our blessing in part for his good work babysitting the deposed Shah of Iran?
#3) Maybe since the CIA was doing drug trafficking to help out the Contras, maybe he thought it was OK for himself to do it?
#4) The U.S has used the excuse of "attacks" on our service members as a justification for escalated conflict. Mexican-American War, Remember the Maine-the Hell with Spain, The occupation of Veracruz, Mexico by president Wilson, Gulf of Tonkin Incident just to name a few. The December 16th incident has been supposedly whitewashed according to the Panamanian soldiers who were there. That the servicemen tried to run a roadblock and in turn the Panamanians opened fire.
Though I am not a defender of Noriega's policies, Noriega was a useful puppet to the U.S and when he crossed the line we got rid of him.
55
Yes, Money for the Nicaragua war came from OUR drug trade. This is important.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for your comment.
3
This kind of brings to mind the US overthrow by George W. Bush of the popular President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
19
Yet the so-called progressive scream at alleged Russian influence in our election? If the U.S. did not like the outcome of another country's elections or coup we simply went in "removed: them and installed someone we liked, or more to the point, someone we thought we could control.. I think there's a word for this?
6
Noriega worked for 'them'" the rulers here, Bush, particularly at CIA, very typical, they used him, tossed him and his country into the chaos.
14
Another illegal invasion by the US which killed more than two thousand civilians and served as a blueprint for Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.
19
Let's not forget that this murderous, drug cartel, dictator came to power in Panama with the full support of the CIA and US government. As musch as I dislike Trump he is right about the US not being so innocent.
17
Gary Shandling (as Larry Sanders) once said that the hardest job in the world was Manuel Noriega's dermatologist.
2
Those here complaining the the U.S. forces needlessly killed a thousand poor civilians do not understand the circumstances or the facts . Noriega's command headquarters was located in the center of Chorillo , a densely packed slum . The residents strongly supported Noriega and wanted to stand and fight as did the soldiers in the Army's HQ .
We had a deal worked out beforehand with upper echelon officers to turn against Noriega and surrender the HQ w/o any violence . However , the plan was discovered and those officers were either executed or still being held under arrest .
We also had a kidnap team who just missed him by minutes in the early dawn as he left the house of one of his mistresses .
In the end we had no choice but to attack the HQ and the bombardment set ablaze Chorillo's dilapidated buildings . Noriega could have surrendered from the outset to avoid casualties . Instead he fled like a coward to the Vatican's embassy . We tried hard to avoid civilian and military casualtis .
We had a deal worked out beforehand with upper echelon officers to turn against Noriega and surrender the HQ w/o any violence . However , the plan was discovered and those officers were either executed or still being held under arrest .
We also had a kidnap team who just missed him by minutes in the early dawn as he left the house of one of his mistresses .
In the end we had no choice but to attack the HQ and the bombardment set ablaze Chorillo's dilapidated buildings . Noriega could have surrendered from the outset to avoid casualties . Instead he fled like a coward to the Vatican's embassy . We tried hard to avoid civilian and military casualtis .
4
"No choice"...sure....
2
Thank you for clarifying how our military tried to avoid civilian casualties.
However the slum dwellers did have a right to fight for their president.
I still don't understand who gave us the authority to depose Mr. Noriega.
However the slum dwellers did have a right to fight for their president.
I still don't understand who gave us the authority to depose Mr. Noriega.
3
Speak for yourself Don - 'we tried hard to avoid civilian and military casualtis.'
We created the monster and it was all about hiding our role in the whole mess.
We created the monster and it was all about hiding our role in the whole mess.
3
Panama was George H.W. Bush's attempt to make up for Vietnam by using the military his predecessor had built up in a limited war: one with a carefully-defined objective, an overwhelming show of force, and an exit strategy designed to avoid a postwar occupation. And he got what he wanted, but the ghosts of Vietnam were still too big for the Panama or Gulf wars to eliminate.
7
Oh yeah, and in case my comment seems too harsh, as it's not nice to speak ill of the recently dead and all, let's keep in mind that this was a murderous dictator who assisted a major, lethal drug selling operation, and ran his beautiful country into the ground to support his lust and greed. I have no condolences for his family and friends, only that it's too bad they missed their chance to have done the right thing, and smothered him in his sleep decades ago. If anyone actually feels badly about this awful man's belated death, I question their morality and have no sympathy for them.
5
Yeah, supported by the CIA the whole time until their covert means to unseat him failed. Only then did his crimes become unacceptable and the military called in. We killed thousands of civilians to boot. Yay America!
26
Dear M. Thomas,
While you might roughly be right, does that in any way excuse Manny Noriega for being the homicidal dictator he was?
While you might roughly be right, does that in any way excuse Manny Noriega for being the homicidal dictator he was?
I see the numerous negative comments. Worry not friends. We need no longer comment solely on foreign autocrats, dictators and such as we now have our own. Made in America!
18
Would this be called meddling in another country's election process? We've been meddling in everyone's election cycle and now we are upset about Russia meddling in our business! We never flushed out Fulgencio Batista of Cuba who committed many of the same crimes as Noriega.
19
Unlike Batista, Noriega's "crime" was not jumping when the U.S. said "jump". Murder,torture, drug dealing? No problemamo as long as you are on our leash.
3
Another massive whitewash of US wrongdoing perpetuated by the NYT.
Reading this largely reticent obituary, no American will ever learn the true nature of Noriega's relationship with Washington, particularly their complicity in illegal activities and the extensive abuses and unlawfulness associated with the US invasion of 1989.
Readers who are interested in a serious review of the US actual record with Noriega may refer to John Dinges' superbly documented "Our Man in Panama: The Shrewd Rise and Brutal Fall of Manuel Noriega."
The National Security Archive of GWU has also posted important documents regarding the US extensive awareness of Noriega's drug trafficking prior to his falling from grace with Washington.
Reading this largely reticent obituary, no American will ever learn the true nature of Noriega's relationship with Washington, particularly their complicity in illegal activities and the extensive abuses and unlawfulness associated with the US invasion of 1989.
Readers who are interested in a serious review of the US actual record with Noriega may refer to John Dinges' superbly documented "Our Man in Panama: The Shrewd Rise and Brutal Fall of Manuel Noriega."
The National Security Archive of GWU has also posted important documents regarding the US extensive awareness of Noriega's drug trafficking prior to his falling from grace with Washington.
61
Excellent remark.
7
Toppled? really the man did everything the americans ever asked him to do Hmmmm?
9
I want to see some pics of him with his bears dressed as paratroopers...
1
Noriega's double dealing, might have been an inspiration to our own Double Dealer in Chief - but that would assume that he had some knowledge of who Noriega was, which is not too likely.
14
No, Noriega learned his trade from Bush.
7
The front page is beginning to feel like the Obituary Section lately. Consecutive days of John Shield, Greg Allman, now Noriega. I'm beginning to have a much greater respect for those old Indians that just quietly rode out of camp alone to let nature finish them whatever way it wanted to. So pure and unblemished.
4
"Whose side he was on was often hard to tell."
This says so much about the failure of US foreign policy, which always seems to ask the same question, "Are you for us or against us?"
The answer is the same for the players in the Syrian conflict and most everywhere else including Noriega' Panama. He was for himself and no one else.
This says so much about the failure of US foreign policy, which always seems to ask the same question, "Are you for us or against us?"
The answer is the same for the players in the Syrian conflict and most everywhere else including Noriega' Panama. He was for himself and no one else.
11
Now we know why Trump hasn't had him to dinner at Mar-a-Lago!
6
What has this to do with Trump? Ok, here's some news: HRC and the Democrats blew the election. Get over it.
4
This article is not only dubious in nature, but entirely unreliable as it hides the whole truth as to why ex-president Manuel Noriega was removed from power by U.S. military forces. It's typical storytelling on the kind of murky relationship maintained by U.S. secret spy agencies and useful Latin American stooges so abundant throughout the region. Luckily, now days there are some national leaders who not only have the guts to stand up to U.S. imperialism, but who also have the support of their own people in this pursuit.
24
This cleansed of the most embarassing bits for the US obituary certainly is of a piece with the NYT's role as yeoman stenographer and cheerleader for relapolitik US geopolitical interests. The obit leaves out Noriega was trained indoctrinated and groomed at the infamous School of the Americas the US institution where for decades dictators in training and their torturers learned their craft from their US puppet masters. "The CIA's man in Panama" and early victim of the new wave of geopolitically convenient "regime change" masked by almost ludicrously hypocritical late blooming concerns for the state of democracy and human rights in the country. Noriega certainly would have had more to say on this. One of his better quotes was "You are a good guy as long as you say yes. Once you start saying no to the US. You become the bad guy." He said this in the context of his alleged refusal to participate more fulsomely in the covert overthrow of Daniel Ortega. Also please more detail with regard to the fact even when he was placed in US prison it was in a Club Fed type minimum security facility where he was allowed to wear his uniform and enjoyed many other privileges including his own gym. Looks even my favorite section of the NYT -- the obituaries has to keep with the narratives when it comes to US geopolitical narratives.
48
At least the USA doesn't meddle in the elected governments of other nations.
14
The accompanying video argues that "Operation Just Cause" (or Operation Just Because) laid the foundations for the misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not so; it was only one more in a long list of US interventions in other countries' affairs. What was true when the Athenians told it to the Melitans is just as true today: the strong do as they can and the weak suffer as they must. The question is not whether the US is to meddle in the governments of other nations or not; the question is whether it is to be strong or weak.
(btw Noreiga was not exactly "elected.")
(btw Noreiga was not exactly "elected.")
Well, farewell to a washed-up, ugly, little, tin-pot dictator. It's good to hear of guys like this, and Ferdinand Marco, Moamarr Godaffy ("Spell it any way you want"), Saddam Hussein, Roger Ailes, and many others, passing away after having lost power. They were vicious autocrats, with no redeeming features, but while they thought they were gods, before their deaths they were cast down from their high thrones and shown to be cowardly, wretched men.
It's a nice reminder too that death comes for the good hearted and the wicked alike, that every time we lose a good person we care about, like Carrie Fisher, Prince, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and too many more, we will also lose a hated tyrant.
So ciao Manny, and I think the most apt Bible quote for your passing is Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death".
It's a nice reminder too that death comes for the good hearted and the wicked alike, that every time we lose a good person we care about, like Carrie Fisher, Prince, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and too many more, we will also lose a hated tyrant.
So ciao Manny, and I think the most apt Bible quote for your passing is Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death".
4
Prince must have turned in his grave by being mentioned as a good person in the same sentence as Brzezinski. Seriously? Much like Noriega awful man who is better dead than alive.
During General Manuel Noriega's 1992 trial in the United States information emerged demonstrating the close ties between the Castro regime and cocaine cartels in Colombia. Fidel Castro served as a mediator between the cartels and Noriega in 1984 at the Panamanian dictator's request. Castro successfully negotiated a "peace" deal that was central to the indictment of Noriega.
Around the same time convicted cartel leader Carlos Lehder implicated Raul Castro and U.S. fugitive Robert Vesco charging that they routed cocaine flights through Cuba. A federal indictment listed General Raul Castro as part of a conspiracy that smuggled seven and a half tons of cocaine into the United States over a 10-year period but the Clinton administration overruled prosecutors during their drive to normalize relations with Cuba. Strange that this goes unmentioned in The New York Times article.
Around the same time convicted cartel leader Carlos Lehder implicated Raul Castro and U.S. fugitive Robert Vesco charging that they routed cocaine flights through Cuba. A federal indictment listed General Raul Castro as part of a conspiracy that smuggled seven and a half tons of cocaine into the United States over a 10-year period but the Clinton administration overruled prosecutors during their drive to normalize relations with Cuba. Strange that this goes unmentioned in The New York Times article.
2
I'd quite forgotten the prominence of Van Halen in Mr Noriega's capture. To this day, the Apostilic Nunciature of Panamá promises instant excommunication to any follower playing the band's music within earshot of the embassy grounds.
2
Startling how this obit whitewashes the US role. LeMonde (France's largest newspaper) :
Symbole des errements de la politique des Etats-Unis dans leur arrière-cour centraméricaine, (Symbol of the errors of US politics in her Central American backyard)
La mort d’un lieutenant américain, tué par des militaires panaméens, sert de prétexte au président Bush pour ordonner, le 20 décembre 1989, l’invasion du Panama par un corps expéditionnaire de 24 000 soldats. L’opération « Juste cause » fait plusieurs centaines de morts, pour la plupart civils, du côté panaméen et provoque l’exode de plus de 20 000 personnes
(The death of an American lieutenant, killed by Panamanian soldiers, served as a pretext for President Bush to order the invasion of Panama by an expeditionary force of 24,000 soldiers on 20 December 1989. Operation "Just cause" killed several hundred people, mostly civilians, on the Panamanian side and caused the exodus of more than 20,000 people)
More accurate, on the role of the US, and the death of hundreds of innocent civilians killed during the invasion - incomprehensibly omitted by the NY Times
Symbole des errements de la politique des Etats-Unis dans leur arrière-cour centraméricaine, (Symbol of the errors of US politics in her Central American backyard)
La mort d’un lieutenant américain, tué par des militaires panaméens, sert de prétexte au président Bush pour ordonner, le 20 décembre 1989, l’invasion du Panama par un corps expéditionnaire de 24 000 soldats. L’opération « Juste cause » fait plusieurs centaines de morts, pour la plupart civils, du côté panaméen et provoque l’exode de plus de 20 000 personnes
(The death of an American lieutenant, killed by Panamanian soldiers, served as a pretext for President Bush to order the invasion of Panama by an expeditionary force of 24,000 soldiers on 20 December 1989. Operation "Just cause" killed several hundred people, mostly civilians, on the Panamanian side and caused the exodus of more than 20,000 people)
More accurate, on the role of the US, and the death of hundreds of innocent civilians killed during the invasion - incomprehensibly omitted by the NY Times
35
You are quite incorrect. The omission is quite comprehensible.
3
The New York Times carefully lies by omission here: Manuel Noriega was a CIA asset until he decided to take over Panama (this was reported in many other publications), and that somehow never made it into this obituary. So triumphant over the US's role in defeating this monster, so careful to ignore the US's role in creating him in the first place.
79
the headline could easily read "former U.S. Ally and partner in crime, set up by the U.S. dies." Noriega learned the hard way that when third world leaders rub elbows with the U.S., it's usually a set-up. Just because the CIA deals drugs and guns, doesn't mean you can.
46
Another despot whom the Republicans whole heartedly supported, until he grew a bit too greedy has died. The bigger tragedy is, the Republicans continue to pursue this approach to foreign relations in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey. . .Making America greatly disrespected by civil standards.
37
It would be fun to follow Trumps money and see how closely connected it would be to Noreiga and his crony's.
6
His hotel here is the tallest skyscraper among 50 skyscrapers.
3
As I listened to an NPR segment depicting some level of sympathy for this man, I felt my blood boiling. Yes, the U.S. has used people around the world for its own interests and often to the detriment of other parts of the world. Nevertheless, this man was a brutal, violent man. Narcotraffickers in Latin America are a scourge and a plague on so many countries, ravaging populations with terrible levels of violence. I lived in Panama under his rule. I protested with thousands of other people as a child, hanging white sheets on our balconies and banging pots and pans. In our efforts to rightly scrutinize U.S. intelligence behavior overseas, let's not paint a picture where U.S. intel and military are the only bad guys and these tyrants are some kind of victims. The world is complicated and appreciating the nuances of these situations is the only way to improve policy.
32
Did he maintain a campaign of droning with hellfire missiles, killing innocent children ("collateral damage")? Did he keep his country at war--including invasions of other countries that are not aggressors--continuously for decades? Then he's not all that bad.
10
Read into the details of Noriega's life and you'll see why the US has a hard time forming real, lasting, mutually beneficial alliances in our own back yard. Our real friends in South/Central America are no more numerous than our real enemies; I can count both together on one hand. The rest are along for the ride, and they're developing justifiable resentment along the way.
12
"Our own backyard"? Give us a break from this typical North-American lingo of self-aggrandizing image-making. Despite your self-induced feelings of superiority towards the rest of the world, it will come to naught when the chips are down some day into the future. Wake up to reality! The U.S. is just another accident of history in the long line of empire-building. These come and go according to its whims.
6
Rafael: I don't think you comprehended my comment. To summarize: you and I are both trying to make the same point, only you're insulting me in the process for some reason. (Apparently the term "back yard" is a trigger for you...I should have said "neighborhood," so please forgive me. We can still be friends.)
You're quite right. Despite our long 61 years around these parts, and my having become a naturalized citizen in the process, we have yet to become accustomed to the way most North-American citizens view the rest of the world. Even obviously intelligent people such as yourself. Please forgive my reaction. But you're right: Latin America is our "neighbor," not our backyard, which is the way the Establishment looks at our region. Again, our sincere apologies!
2
I was a young soldier that fought in this conflict to free the Panamanian people from this man.
1. Until you've seen the photos of what he did to his enemies, you cannot imagine how tyranical he was.
2. Many hundreds if not thousands of people "disappeared" under his brutal rule.
3. After "Operation Just Cause" we were greeted as liberators by 95% of the populace. I was thanked for my service countless times by the generous people of Panama while I was there.
4. Contrary to what we did in the recent wars in the middle east, we rebuilt their military instead of putting them all out of a job, and carefully removed the hard-core Noriega loyalists.
If there is ever a right way to be involved in a foreign conflict, this was the example.
1. Until you've seen the photos of what he did to his enemies, you cannot imagine how tyranical he was.
2. Many hundreds if not thousands of people "disappeared" under his brutal rule.
3. After "Operation Just Cause" we were greeted as liberators by 95% of the populace. I was thanked for my service countless times by the generous people of Panama while I was there.
4. Contrary to what we did in the recent wars in the middle east, we rebuilt their military instead of putting them all out of a job, and carefully removed the hard-core Noriega loyalists.
If there is ever a right way to be involved in a foreign conflict, this was the example.
19
and how many civilians were killed in your "operation"?
10
George H. W. Bush bombed and murdered a minimum of 1,000 poor Panamanians because the CIA was feuding with Noriega. This despicable act is mainly ignored in contemporary US history.
30
Manuel Noreiga dies after a full life and a place in history of the US foreign policy and role in regime change in the world. Noreiga was one of the many dictators from the last century in which the USA played a pivotal role in installing and then yanking out of power. The holier than thou attitude when some one else is perceived to influence our elections is hypocritical and reminds me of kettle calling a pot black. Let us evolve from the lessons of the past and morph into a more realistic and genuinely benevolent well wishing tolerant and moral super power.
15
Good Riddance. Fewer Noriega s would make the world a better place.
2
in order to understand the rise of a Military Dictatorship in Panama is to comprehend the Ruling Elite that controlled economic development amongst themselves and oppresses the majority for years since the country's inception...which in turn created Gen. Torrijos and then Gen. Noriega also supported by the will of the people that cried for social mobility and economic opportunities , unfortunately like Lord Acton once expressed,..."Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
6
My best friend CW2 Stephen Cornick died in a helicopter crash in June of 89 in Panama during an attempt to take Noriega down. He was heavy on my mind yesterday, (Memorial Day) we served in Germany together during the last 18 months of my active duty. Steve was co-piloting at the time of the accident. My thoughts and prayers are with his dad, brother, family and friends always.
16
Fortunately today, Panamá is one of the most stable and strongest US allies in Latin America. It financed a new $5 biliion canal, which is benefitting many US ports. It has the second highest GDP per capita (on a purchasing power parity basis) in Latin America, second only to Chile. Panamá City has 50 skyscrapers. Of US cities only NY and Chicago have more. It has been a remarkable post-Noreiga recovery. Perhaps your article could have devoted a sentence or two to today's Panamá.
6
The quality of a city is defined by the size and number of its skyscrapers?
No. It is defined by its people, its technology, its education and its culture. Many of those things are related to its number of skyscrapers. Do you think Noriega was concerned about building skyscrapers. Who builds skyscrapers? Banks, insurance companies, technology companies, etc. Be negative about Panamá today if you must. You are wrong. Have you ever been here? For example we have a Frank Gehry museum which is not a skyscraper, but is his only museum in Latin America.
The invasion of Panama by GHW Bush and the invasion of Iraq by GW Bush follow a remarkable psychological parallel. Although there were complicating factors in both cases, both invasions were essentially personal vendettas by a sitting US President to avenge a personal offense.
GHW Bush punished Noriega for his double dealing - which the US President interpreted as a personal betrayal - and GW Bush punished Saddam Hussein for having threatened to kill his father, GHW Bush.
In both cases, a sitting US President basically used the US Army to settle a family score. In neither case was the national interest at stake.
Why is this important? If the Bushes were capable of such travesty, one can only imagine how far the Trumps would be willing to go in pursuit of their interests.
GHW Bush punished Noriega for his double dealing - which the US President interpreted as a personal betrayal - and GW Bush punished Saddam Hussein for having threatened to kill his father, GHW Bush.
In both cases, a sitting US President basically used the US Army to settle a family score. In neither case was the national interest at stake.
Why is this important? If the Bushes were capable of such travesty, one can only imagine how far the Trumps would be willing to go in pursuit of their interests.
11
There is some truth to what you say , but we could not allow this thug to have a stranglehold on the Canal which we were treaty-bound to hand over on Dec. 31 , 1999 . We had a mere 20 years to put Panama on track for regular democratic elections with leaders that would respect the rule of law , stay in power for their terms and - - - most importantly - - - not interrupt the flow of world commerce through the canal with unchecked power or personal pique directed at certain neighboring countries that are heavy Canal users .
I lived in the Zone in 1973 while researching and writing a Master's thesis on the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Panama . When Carter signed the treaty with Torrijos in 1976 , our government had already decided that the days of tin pot dictators in Panama were over . Bush merely picked an opportune moment in time to carry out this policy .
I lived in the Zone in 1973 while researching and writing a Master's thesis on the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Panama . When Carter signed the treaty with Torrijos in 1976 , our government had already decided that the days of tin pot dictators in Panama were over . Bush merely picked an opportune moment in time to carry out this policy .
2
Quite a place that Latin America: Panama, Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, etc. All loaded with Noriega's. All begging for US money. All illegally entering the US. The smelly under-belly of the world.
4
I suggest you read my comment about this article. Panamá does not belong on your list.
Your comment is useful to understand why the US ended up with a guy like Trump as President. Ignorance plus malice plus selfishness is a bad combination my friend.
9
There's a movie I saw on WNET I think, about 15 years ago. I don't remember the name or the film maker. Alec Baldwin introduced it and talked to the filmmaker. It showed what really happened in Panama when we invaded. How many people were really killed. They never showed it again. The powers that be don't want that information out there.
I always thought the Bushies went in to get Noriega because he had he goods on them. He wanted a bigger cut of the drug money pie. There was that photo of George Bush all buddy buddy sitting on the couch with Manuel. The Democrats decided not to use it in the first Bush election.... What happened ? Did the cocaine and heroin trade stop. Of course not. Panama is still the big transfer point. The Panama War, another one of the Bush Family's personal excursions. Pretty much could have been avoided and unnecessary.
Orange, NJ
I always thought the Bushies went in to get Noriega because he had he goods on them. He wanted a bigger cut of the drug money pie. There was that photo of George Bush all buddy buddy sitting on the couch with Manuel. The Democrats decided not to use it in the first Bush election.... What happened ? Did the cocaine and heroin trade stop. Of course not. Panama is still the big transfer point. The Panama War, another one of the Bush Family's personal excursions. Pretty much could have been avoided and unnecessary.
Orange, NJ
23
I think you're referring to "The Panama Deception". I also recall that it was pretty good. It's on YouTube.
3
Never understood how US law applies to a leader of another country. I was too young at the time to complain, but I'm certain it would get under my skin now.
21
The USA has foolishly abandonned its once strong Monroe Doctrine.
Panama was once the stand-out case for the BENEFITS of US domination of the Central American region and the Caribean Basin......
Panama's good fortune was to have the Americans build a practical trans-oceanic canal.....still one of the most strategic choke points in Global Trade. Unfortunately, the USA, with the best intentions, has allowed a small group of people who are unprepared to operate and maintain this Canal, to treat the Canal like a goose that lays a golden egg........they are in the process of Killing that Goose. The Canal has had very little maintainance since the Americans left.....
Now, the Chinese Govt has dusted off the earlier American Plans for a 21st Century Version of the Nicarauguan Canal.....an Ameircan Plan circa 1857, pre-Civil War.....a Chinese Project that our Trump obsessed Media does not report on.....that will be complete in three years....that will allow the Chinese Navy to dock in Havanna Cuba...........
Meanwhile back in Panama,,,,,the French, famous for the first catastrophic bankruptcy and canal swindle, are once again financing a bigger Panama Canal that will allow bigger ships to pass thru.....unfortunately, due to poor management techniques, the French Construction Companies have allowed Lake Gatun to completely drain......thus destroying the design genius of the American Canal.....a gravity fed water source to run the Canal.
Panama was once the stand-out case for the BENEFITS of US domination of the Central American region and the Caribean Basin......
Panama's good fortune was to have the Americans build a practical trans-oceanic canal.....still one of the most strategic choke points in Global Trade. Unfortunately, the USA, with the best intentions, has allowed a small group of people who are unprepared to operate and maintain this Canal, to treat the Canal like a goose that lays a golden egg........they are in the process of Killing that Goose. The Canal has had very little maintainance since the Americans left.....
Now, the Chinese Govt has dusted off the earlier American Plans for a 21st Century Version of the Nicarauguan Canal.....an Ameircan Plan circa 1857, pre-Civil War.....a Chinese Project that our Trump obsessed Media does not report on.....that will be complete in three years....that will allow the Chinese Navy to dock in Havanna Cuba...........
Meanwhile back in Panama,,,,,the French, famous for the first catastrophic bankruptcy and canal swindle, are once again financing a bigger Panama Canal that will allow bigger ships to pass thru.....unfortunately, due to poor management techniques, the French Construction Companies have allowed Lake Gatun to completely drain......thus destroying the design genius of the American Canal.....a gravity fed water source to run the Canal.
2
The new canal is ready, the french had nothing to do it, french companies were not even the members of the building consortium and the lake Gatun is full of water, thank you very much.
An expat in Panama
An expat in Panama
3
I can't say that "La Piña" was the worst banana republic dictator in history but he was certainly among the worst of them. Had he been left in power, there's no telling how many people h would have killed.
Speaking of banana republics......
Speaking of banana republics......
3
OR you could say Noriega was installed with the help of the US in a country the US fashioned out of Columbia so It could sign a treaty with the new country to build and control the Panama Canal on terms favorable to the US.
Noriega was just one in a line of vicious dictators the US installed to one degree or another, so it could maintain control of the canal.
The reason for Noriega's removal was not the oppression and corruption which the US overlooks in it's client states and cruel dictators all over the globe but that Noriega forgot who his masters were and was not properly dutiful in his relations with the US. The US can always use an example of the stick it wields to keep it's other "Allies" in line with the global US priorities.
Noriega was just one in a line of vicious dictators the US installed to one degree or another, so it could maintain control of the canal.
The reason for Noriega's removal was not the oppression and corruption which the US overlooks in it's client states and cruel dictators all over the globe but that Noriega forgot who his masters were and was not properly dutiful in his relations with the US. The US can always use an example of the stick it wields to keep it's other "Allies" in line with the global US priorities.
66
This is all an example of exactly how foreign policy should be run.
States are amoral agents, foreign policy is an amoral enterprise.
When we think seriously about foreign policy we think amorally. For foreign policy involves the battle of geographical space and power, played out over the millennia by states and empires in a world where there is no referee or night watchman in charge.
A moral world is one in which perfection and black-and-white choices reign. Meanwhile, we have only the real world of military powers competing in a state of anarchy, offering only difficult compromises that are more amoral than moral.
In such a world, needs rather than wishes rule, and even a liberal power such as the United States is not exempt from the struggle for survival. Such a struggle means looking unsentimentally at the human condition, which, in turn, requires a good deal of unpleasantness.
States are amoral agents, foreign policy is an amoral enterprise.
When we think seriously about foreign policy we think amorally. For foreign policy involves the battle of geographical space and power, played out over the millennia by states and empires in a world where there is no referee or night watchman in charge.
A moral world is one in which perfection and black-and-white choices reign. Meanwhile, we have only the real world of military powers competing in a state of anarchy, offering only difficult compromises that are more amoral than moral.
In such a world, needs rather than wishes rule, and even a liberal power such as the United States is not exempt from the struggle for survival. Such a struggle means looking unsentimentally at the human condition, which, in turn, requires a good deal of unpleasantness.
1
what you say is true for one style of thinking or diplomatic ideology. There is a world of possibilities for other types of relationships and conflict resolution between countries. The problem we have is a country whose power is very centralized and it tends to attract people with certain types of aggressive personality, who will invariably only look for solutions that suits their personality type. Conflict and War in pre-columbian was far different that conflict and war in Europe at that same time. You could say the US war and conquest outlook now more reflects the Native American style in which then end of the conflict does not mean the annihilation of the loser. The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq were not wars of conquest where the loser's territory is subsumed into the winning nation.
In the US we a have convinced ourselves that forcing other countries to assume our world view always results in the best results. How much effort did the US go to, to install the Shah in Iran and support his less than popular government for more than 2 decades then spend the next 40 years trying to deal with an unfriendly Iran. Vietnam is another classic example of the failure of the status quo in American global relations. We could have had the kind of relations with Vietnam that we have now back in the 1950's if we had not followed the regular course of authoritarian realpolitik. Instead we spend billions and caused death and suffering to millions.
In the US we a have convinced ourselves that forcing other countries to assume our world view always results in the best results. How much effort did the US go to, to install the Shah in Iran and support his less than popular government for more than 2 decades then spend the next 40 years trying to deal with an unfriendly Iran. Vietnam is another classic example of the failure of the status quo in American global relations. We could have had the kind of relations with Vietnam that we have now back in the 1950's if we had not followed the regular course of authoritarian realpolitik. Instead we spend billions and caused death and suffering to millions.
1
Worth remembering that the US created Panama by tearing it away from Columbia during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. George H.W. Bush's toppling of our puppet, Noriega, was merely an extension of a preexisting condition known as colonialism.
81
Good comment, but I believe it was Honduras that Panama broke away from - soon after being recognized by the U.S. to facilitate the construction of the Panama Canal?
2
Ooops, sorry Dave D - my mistake.
1
No, it was Columbia. An excellent book I highly recommend on the building of the Canal; A Path Between the Seas by David McCullough.
1
For anyone interested in the story of this history The Noriega Mess by Luis Murillo is an excellent read. It is a thorough history of Panama and US involvement during Noriega's life. Many of the details are stranger-than-fiction (Noriega double-crossed Pablo Escobar and got away with it) but the larger story is about US influence on other countries and the common people that have to live with the consequences.
29
I really like the way Ronny Reagan got a free pass for enriching this guy and for dumping crack cocaine on our streets to finance his illegal war in Central America. All he had to say was I don't remember. It's not treason if your a good ole rich white guy with the moral majority backing you. These fake unchristians has risen again with a leader far worse than Reagan. They do not have one thing in common with Jesus Christ and his teachings.
8
This is a very polite piece by Mr. Archibold with massive omissions. I thought we were past that point. Where did Noriega receive military training? and the US simply stood by as he took control of Panama? Really?
75
Good or bad , Noriega was part of Latin American history of the last 30 years.
6
In 1991, Bush the First set the Middle East ablaze by double-crossing our ally— the homicidal thug, Saddam Hussein. In 1989, Bush the First began his military adventurism by invading another sovereign country, Panama; kidnapping its President, and killing 4,000 Panamanians, many civilians.
Our rationalization? Drug-related crimes committed — where? In Panama! The real reason?
Excerpt from the semi-fictional novel, Inescapable Consequences —
“You have invaded sovereign countries and, in the case of Panama, actually kidnapped its head of state, transported him to the United States, then imprisoned him for having violated American law — your law. Often, you use the pretext of them dealing in illegal drugs — illegal in the United States, that is — purchased by millions of Americans willingly and gladly. Other times, you use the pretext of so-called terrorism when foreign patriots refuse to accept American military presence on their own sovereign soil — their soil not your soil.”