U.S. Authority on Foreign Shores

The risks of our military foray into Central America go beyond a mere “revival of anarchy in place of renascent rule of law.” The invasion of Panama by the U.S. on the flimsiest of pretext suddenly lends perverse credence to the argument made by developing nations to arm themselves with nuclear weapons and the necessary systems to deliver them.

Do the overwhelming majority of Americans who approved of the invasion realize what message we sent the world? Does the same majority know what is going on in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Israel and South Africa?

Ultimately, the rhetorical question concerning American policy in Panama boils down to this: Americans, seeing their power waning in Europe and feeling intimidated by the techno-colonialism of Japan, view the Panama Canal as one of the last vestiges of physical geostrategic power. Why don’t we just get on with it, do what we please in Central America and make Panama our 51st state. After all, then it would make the previous loss of life cost effective (those young boys died for our freedom) and we could institute a “real”--read corporate-plutocratic--democracy, something like we have in Hawaii. Then we can justify reneging on the 1977 treaty with Panama. Isn’t that what America really wants?

KEITH JEFFREYS

Morro Bay