On December 20, 1989, President George H. W. Bush ordered US Troops to invade the tiny country of Panama. The invasion is the climax of four years of rapidly declining relations between the two countries. Most wars represent the ultimate failure of diplomacy. Nowhere was this more true than with the US invasion of Panama. For more than twenty one years, since a coup led by General Omar Torrijos (along with his most senior Lieutenants, Paredes and Noriega) in 1968, Panama enjoyed as close a relationship with the US economically, military and intelligence-wise as any other US ally. The collapse of this relationship is almost as spectacular as it would be if our relationship with Canada degenerated into war four years from now.
Much of the blame lay with General Manuel Noriega, the man who brought true iron fisted dictatorship to Panama for the one and only time in the young country's existence. Nevertheless, it is surprising to many people familiar with Panamanian history and the history of US-Panamanian relations that an invasion was necessary to resolve the problems between the two countries. It is fairly well known that at the time George H. W. Bush was head of the CIA, Noriega was head of the Panamanian Intelligence services, which was known in Panama as the DENI. The two men had a working relationship that in 1989 went back nearly 17 years.
The surprise extended to the many Panamanian nationals who had lobbied the US Government in the late 1980's to intervene to remove Noriega. Most believed it could be done with diplomacy, or at worst, a surgical operation, or covert US Assistance to a coup. When the US resorted to full scale invasion, even those who longed for Noriega's removal were disappointed, and of course, Noriega's supporters were outraged.
In this backdrop, two and one half years later on June 11, 1992, President George H. W. Bush made a visit to Panama expecting to be greeted as a liberating hero. It was a cataclysmic misunderstanding of sentiment in Panama. Despite heavy presence by Panamanian Police and US Military forces at the outdoor speech, anti-American individuals, some armed with guns and firing their weapons, rushed the podium. A barrage of tear gas followed. A shifting of winds blew the tear gas into the President's face causing him to pause his speech and gag. Finally, as the situation deteriorated, US Special Forces decended on the scene to rescue and evacuate President Bush from the area.
Visiting Panama today, as friendly and warm as Panamanians are once again to all visitors, including Americans, it is difficult to recall those days after the invasion. But I am sure former President Bush will never forget his last visit and his terrible miscalculation of how his policies would be received by the Panamanian people.
