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Panama's Strong Man Survives--For Now
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11302 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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5 / 1986 |
2,035 Words |
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Sheila Louise Rees
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Clearly, the Caribbean and Central America represent a political as well as (almost literally) a geographical crossroads of American Foreign policy. Central America is the Western hemisphere's "slim waist"; if the area--or any large part of it--falls into hostile hands, U.S. policy in South America will be effectively blocked. The Caribbean is a closed sea, with the Panama Canal offering the only real access between two great oceans, and the eastern islands serving as a natural outer defense perimeter.
The republican of Panama is situated on the isthmus that connects North and South America. Costa Rica is situated on its west cost, Colombia on its east coast, and the northern and southern coasts are bordered by Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, respectively. The 2.1 million people in Panama are basically Caribbean Spanish speaking; however, because of the American influence in the Panama Canal Zone, English is widely used.
Panama achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and thereafter joined the Confederation of Greater Colombia. In 1903, Panama proclaimed its own independence after Colombia rejected a treaty enabling the United States to build the canal. From the time that the canal was built, Panama's economy has been oriented toward servicing transit trade and international commerce, and in the 1960s the country achieved rapid economic growth. Progress, however, was seen only in urban areas and nearly half of the population still is engaged in subsistence agriculture and has little contact with the revenues generated through international commerce.
Since 1968 Panama has developed into a major international financial center,
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