Description: Unofficial sources have stated that Pentagon’s command provided strategic military options for continued US access to the Panama Canal. The area has been the subject of severe upheaval in recent months, as US President Donald Trump has accused the Panamanian administration of subverting and undermining US interests and allowing China to forward its regional presence. Under the treaty between the US and Panama, both countries are bound to defend the canal’s economic independency and neutrality even by unilateral means, which also involved military action.
Impact: Constant threats from US President Donald Trump to militarily intervene in Panama have escalated the already existing high bilateral tensions between the US and Panama. Panama has so far denounced they crippled the trade route’s neutrality by favoring Chinese interests, while the US has continuously pressured for concrete reassurances. The US’ current stance on its neighboring allies are further influenced by Trump’s tariff policy and the deportation of foreign citizens, while strategic tensions with Panama and the military assessment by the Pentagon further threaten regional instability. Despite being treaty – bound, Panama has no reassurances that the US won’t intervene, as the contractual obligations are subjected to unilateral interpretation, something that has conceptualized the present US foreign policy.