Panama in the United States
Panama Canal Treaties 33 Stat. 2234 (1903) TIAS 10030 (1977)
Introduction
According to the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, at “the turn of the twentieth century the United States emerged as a major power in world politics. Central to that major-power status were America’s merchant shipping and the navy that protected it.”
Invasion
The president (George Bush) received broad bipartisan congressional backing for the brief U.S. invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989, that deposed dictator General Manuel Antonio Noriega. In the 1980s, addiction to crack cocaine reached epidemic proportions, and President Bush put the “war on drugs” at the center of his domestic agenda. The United States had compelling evidence that Noriega was involved in drug smuggling operations and by means of the invasion sought to bring Noriega to justice.
But there were other reasons. One of Bush’s aims was to replace Noriega with a government headed by Guillermo Endara, who had won a presidential election that Noriega subsequently annulled. Bush also told reporters that he ordered U.S. troops to Panama to safeguard the lives of American citizens, to help restore democracy and to protect the integrity of the Panama Canal treaties. Noriega eventually turned himself over to U.S. authorities, and he was later tried and convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, Florida, of drug trafficking and racketeering. (1)