NCJ Number
127862
Journal
Hemisphere Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1990) Pages: 16-18
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
With the US invasion of Panama in December 1989, Panama's military and dominant political institution, the Panama Defense Forces (PDF), has been transformed into a civilian police force.
Abstract
Washington's interest had been to control the Panama Canal and contain communism in the region. Consequently, until the invasion, it ignored the corruption and repression of the Noriega regime in exchange for support for US anti-Sandinista policy. The invasion planners did not plan beyond the elimination of the PDF and the capture of Noriega. Following the invasion, the ransacking of government offices and private businesses was rampant. The US then began to assist in the development of a new civilian government consisting of a fragile alliance of parties who had shared the goal of ousting Noriega. The new government sought to establish its legitimacy as foreign troops patrolled its streets. New president Guillermo Endara chose to convert rather than abolish the PDF to avoid massive training costs and because of the political urgency of removing the need for US troops. It was believed that most of the PDF's members had not been associated with Noriega's corruption and human rights abuses. However, domestic conditions and relations between Endara and the US are deteriorating.