Title: Trump‘s Canal of Contention: A United Latin America Stands Firm
Article:
In an unexpected move thatrang alarm bells across the Americas, incoming US President Donald Trump has set his sights on the Panama Canal, stirring a surge of regional unity and solidarity. The Canal, a critical global trade hub, suddenly found itself at the heart of a geopolitical storm.
Trump’s initial volley was a tweet, posted on a quiet Saturday evening, reigniting debate over the Canal’s management. The following day, speaking to 20,000 supporters at a far-right youth activist conference in Phoenix, Arizona, he escalated the rhetoric, demanding that Panama reduce tolls for US ships or cede control of the Canal back to the US.
"this total rip-off of our country ends now," Trump declared, adding another items to his impending to-do list after his January 20 inauguration.
The reaction from Panama was swift and unanimous. President José Raúl Mulino dismissed Trump’s suggestion as an insult to Panama’s sovereignty. He was joined by a chorus of Latin American leaders, from Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum to Chile, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, who saw the Canal issue as a test of regional independence.
The Canal, Mulino reminded, was firmly under Panamanian control, and tariffs were set transparently andbased on market conditions. In a thinly veiled jab at Trump’s يقعMAGA" rhetoric, Mulino added, "The Canal is not controlled, directly or indirectly, by China, the EU, the US, or any other power."
Trump, however, pressed on. On Christmas Day, he named Kevin Marino Cabrera as his Panama ambassador. A Cuban-American with ties to Trump’s 2020 campaign and Florida roots, Cabrera speaks Spanish and promises to "work tirelessly to defend President Trump’s bold approach to diplomatic relations."
Trump’s claim that China controls the Canal and that 38,000 US lives were lost in its construction (Actually, around 5,800 workers died, mostly Caribbean locals, not US citizens) has drawn fire from historians. University of Maryland’s Julie Greene calls the 38,000 figure "ridiculous" and a distortion of history.
Moreover, Greene sees Trump’s threat as part of a long-standing US pattern of treating Latin America as an exploitable territory. "He’s showing a shocking lack of respect for Panama and its sovereignty," she argues.
Meanwhile, Latino leaders are using Trump’s challenge to rally regional pride. Petro, in a X post, called for a prosperous, autonomous Latin America, rejecting exploitation and offering a stark message to Trump: "If you don’t want millions crossing the Darién, understand that it depends on the prosperity and freedom of our peoples."
As Trump prepares for his inauguration, one thing is clear: his stance on the Panama Canal has echoes of his broader approach to Latin America – brash, assertive, and potentially divisive. But in this case, it has also Galvanized regional unity like never before.
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