Robert C. Harding Ii - Military Foundations of Panamanian Politics

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Military Foundations of Panamanian Polities

Military Foundations of Panamanian Politics

Robert C. Harding II

First published 2001 by Transaction Publishers

Published 2017 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

Copyright 2001 by Taylor & Francis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 00-066963

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harding, Robert C.
Military foundations of Panamanian politics / Robert C. Harding II.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
ISBN 0-7658-0075-6 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. PanamaPolitics and government20th century. 2. Panama. Guardia NacionalPolitical activityHistory. 3. Civil-military relationsPanama History. 4. PanamaRelationsUnited States. 5. United StatesRelations Panama. 6. Partido Revolucionario Democrtico (Panama). 7. Torrijos Herrera, Omar, 1926- I. Title.

F1566.5 H37 2001
322'.5'0978287dc21

00-066963

ISBN 13: 978-0-7658-0075-6 (hbk)

"Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar"

Antonio Machado

Contents

1. v

Guide

This book is the product of five years of research, during which time I have been assisted by a multitude of people. Though it would be impossible to name all these wonderful souls, I would especially like to note: My wife and friend, Dora Harding, for her love and support of my work; Ambassador Ambler Moss, Jr., who is an invaluable source of information and ideas on all things regarding Panama; Michael Conniff, for his judicious suggestions and counsel; the libraries of the University of Miami and Indiana University for being so professional and helpful beyond the call of duty; Juan Carlos Espinosa, whose long discussions, spiced with caf cubano, proved invaluable; Cliff Staten, for providing a wise and objective sounding board for many ideas herein; and my mother, Mildred Harding, who has always been supportive of my aspirations.

Dedicated to the memories of my father, Robert C. Harding, and my professor and mentor, Enrique A. Baloyra.

To undertake any study of Panamanian political history requires one to embark upon an exercise that is at once one of exceptionality and of comparison. The study of Panamanian politics involves a political reality that, while bearing a definite likeness to other Latin American countries in terms of structure and actors, possesses such singularity as to make the study of Panama a speciality unto itself. It is true that all things, states included, have something that make them unique, but within the domain of Latin American studies, few other countries can lay claim to such a complex array of historical, social, and political conditions such as those that have molded Panama's relatively young history as an independent republic.

A bevy of factors have converged on this tiny isthmus to make it so interesting. From its colonial beginning, Panama differentiated itself in a variety of ways: from its beginning, its geographical location made it subject to very different developmental, and subsequently, political forces from the rest of Latin America. Its centrality also made Panama the focus of external forces that have utilized and influenced the country. From the infamous piracy of Sir Francis Drake's robbery of Spanish silver crossing the isthmus in 1527 to the U.S. adhesion to the country in the twentieth century, Panama has always been under a foreign microscope. Even now, with the turnover of the Panama Canal and the adjoining U.S. military withdrawal completed, Panama continues to be the subject of interest, if not scrutiny, from certain sectors of the United States government.

It is precisely this form of constant influence and intervention over five centuries that has strongly contributed to the poorly developed Panamanian political system, Panamanian independence was created under the aegis of United States' gunboats, which helped bolster an elite that built its privileged position not upon agricultureas was the case in the vast majority of Latin Americabut in mercantile pursuits, a difference made possible due to the aforementioned confluence of geography and history.

Playing a very important role in Panamanian political development was the military, which had its beginnings under the direct guidance and, at times, watchful eye of the United States. Lastly, the Panama Canal accentuated these individualistic tendencies, and added new distinctness by incorporating the permanent presence of a foreign country, the United States, into Panama's sociopolitical underpinnings.

This study of the military foundations of Panama's political system attempts to run an explanatory thread through twentieth-century history in the isthmus, using the cohesive element of the military role in the evolution of Panamanian politics to analyze the development of the modern political system, dominated over the last quarter century by a political party, the Partido Revolucionario Democrtico (PRD), originally created by the military.

This endeavor is itself very much an examination of Panama's uniqueness in Latin American politics and history, which has attracted both academic attention and, paradoxically, neglect, due to the country's perceived singular relationship with the United States. However, as will be demonstrated, Panamanian politics, though certainly influenced by the dominant U.S. presence, was influenced more so by the role of the military in Panamanian society, and was quite able to develop into a political entity with a life of its own.

Robert C. Harding II
Lynchburg, Virginia
November 1, 2000

Panamanian politics has been a confluence of extremely unstable and complicated series of events and actors, full of collusion, endless infighting, and patronismo. Therefore, due to the inherently confusing state of Panama's political history, the following chronology is offered to clarify the numerous changes in office and policy, which will aid in the reading of the text.

(presidents/heads of state in italics )

1899:	Civil war erupts in Colombia, spreading to the Panamanian province in 1900.
1903:	With U.S. assistance, Panama gains independence from Colombia. Manuel Amador Guerrero becomes head of ruling council. United States begins work on Panama Canal.
1904:	With U.S. support, Amador disbands Panamanian military. U.S. troops surround presidential palace to protect him.
1905:	First of many U.S. advisors arrive in Panama to train police. Opposition leader, Belisario Porras, stripped of citizenship.
1906:	Electoral Board controversy demonstrates first manipulation of votes in elections.

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