President-elect Donald Trump’s blustering threat on Dec. 21 to retake the Panama Canal, suggesting that China is gaining control over that waterway—"we would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! … We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."—has quickly led to an explosion of outrage and opposition across Ibero-America and the Global South. There are few symbols of de-colonization that were more widely fought for internationally than the return of the Panama Canal to Panama, through the 1977 Carter-Torrijos treaties. Today, the vast majority of mankind has decided that the era of 500 years of colonialism has come to an end—and Trump just foolishly took a stance squarely against that tide.
American flags are now being burnt again in Panama. Panamanian President José Raul Mulino gave an address to the nation and the world on Sunday, Dec. 22, stating “that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to PANAMA, and will continue to be. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable…. Our Canal has the mission of serving humanity and its commerce. That is one of the great values that Panamanians offer to the world, giving a guarantee to the international community not to take part, nor to be an active party in any conflict…. The Canal is not controlled, directly or indirectly, from either China, nor the European Community, nor the United States or any other power…. Panama respects other nations and demands respect.”
