Since his inauguration, President Trump has repeatedly threatened to “take back” the Panama Canal. As a second-year UNC undergraduate and a Panamanian-American, these threats are frightening.
I lived the first year of my life in Panama, where my mother was born and lived for 28 years, and where my extended family has lived for generations. I have a relative who served as the country’s president in 1936-1939. In 1999, when the final transfer of the canal took place, my mother worked for the United States military in Panama and signed documents giving Panama control of U.S. military bases outside the city.
The Panama Canal, a symbol of great pride for our family and for all Panamanians, has been the centerpoint of the country’s economy since its construction. President Trump’s hostile threats damage a current positive U.S. image of the Panamanian people and potentially end decades of trust between the two countries.
Thanks to American investments and engineering and a workforce of tens of thousands of people from all over the world, the 51-mile canal was cut in 1904-1914. The canal has facilitated trade between the two largest oceans, connecting the world. It, and the surrounding area known as the Panama Canal Zone, was a U.S. territory from 1903 until 1979, inhibiting Panama’s economic growth and independence.
The 1977 treaties between President Carter and military leader Torrijos transferred the Panama Canal to Panama, ending an earlier period of tensions and allowing a partnership to blossom. Since the full transfer in 1999, the canal has allowed many sectors of Panama’s economy, such as technology, banking, consulting and industry, to flourish. Panama has grown into a center of business and trade in Latin America.
Panama has also long welcomed American tourists, retirees and businessmen with open arms. President Trump’s claims that Panama is charging U.S. ships too much for passage and that China has excessive control of the canal suggest this cooperation may be ending.
Trump has truly betrayed the Panamanian people by disregarding the 1977 treaties and decades of friendship between the two countries. My relatives and friends in Panama worry about the consequences of the betrayal of the Panamanian people and the implications of the threats to steal a major economic driver from a long-term U.S. ally.
Treaties with foreign nations like this one with Panama bring mutual benefits, and it is necessary to prioritize this partnership and not undermine it. President Trump’s plan would not only harm Panama but also its, and other countries’, relations with the United States. The Panamanian public, including myself, feel incredibly insulted by President Trump’s words and we demand he and the United States treat Panama with the respect it deserves.
— Nicholas York, ‘27
