Panama
History
The U.S. presence in Panama has been strong throughout its history, beginning before the republic was born when the Panama Canal Railway set up offices here in the 1840s. After the completion of the Canal in 1914, the U.S. stationed troops in the country to protect the waterway and has frequently intervened to control political events in Panama. That's what happened in the 1989 invasion that dislodged General Manuel Noriega, who had appointed himself head of the country and was believed to be involved in drug smuggling. (Noriega is now serving a 40-year prison sentence in Florida for money laundering.) On the last day of 1999, the U.S. relinquished control of the canal, an agreement reached in 1978, and turned over remaining U.S. military bases to the Panamanian government.
Today Panama is a democratic and independent republic presided over by a President and two Vice Presidents. Since the early ‘90s Panama has had free elections with a healthy participation in this process by the public and press.
