Former President Donald Trump's recent statements about reclaiming the Panama Canal have caused international controversy, with many denouncing his remarks as an attack on Panamanian sovereignty. The comments highlight a long-standing U.S. interest in the canal, which was built under controversial circumstances in the early 20th century.
While proclaiming that a country of 40 million people should become the 51st U.S. state, his first telephone conversation with Mexico’s new president, Claudia Scheinbaum, had to be followed by her politely saying that she had agreed to none of the terms Mr. Trump claimed she had. That was settled five decades ago. But here, Mr. Trump’s statements resonate with a powerful sentiment that long underpinned previous U.S. policy on the issue.
After all, the Panama Canal was an American idea, the brainchild of Teddy Roosevelt at the start of the 20th century – and the U.S. has had difficulty letting go of it ever since. The majority of U.S. container traffic passes through the Panama Canal. Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via an 82-kilometer waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, the canal has become entangled in the intensifying geopolitical and geoeconomic rivalry between the United States and China. Mr. Trump’s statements about the U.S. retaking the canal in the face of alleged increased Chinese influence in Panama have shocked many – not least Panamanians, who see them as an affront to their sovereignty. But sovereignty has been a pliable concept throughout Panama’s history. Contending with the vestiges of the Spanish empire in the Americas, Roosevelt thought it crucial to establish a route for U.S. trade between the Atlantic and the Pacific that avoided the need to circumnavigate South America. There were two options: Nicaragua and Colombia. The latter proved easier but involved some U.S. sleight of hand. Roosevelt’s administration backed a faction that pursued secession from Colombia, which led to the creation of the new state of Panama, where the U.S. could pursue Roosevelt’s pet project. In 1903, the U.S. received authority to build a canal and control of the Panama Canal Zone “in perpetuity,” in exchange for annual payments to Panama. In his memoirs, Roosevelt conceded his “regret” for using force in violating Colombia’s sovereignty, but the U.S. quickly moved to solidify its control over the canal
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