How did Manuel Noriega, the CIA's most important agent in Central America, become the US administration's most wanted criminal? Why did 22,000 US troops invade Panama, to arrest a man who had been a staunch ally of the US? Was his involvement in the drug trade the real reason for General Noriega's downfall? Panama: Made in the USA explores the unanswered questions behind the invasion of December 1989 and looks at the turbulent history of US-Panamanian relations, in particular the bitter struggle for control of the Panama Canal. It analyzes the economic and geo-strategic importance of a country literally created by and for the US government. Looking at Panama since the invasion, the authors explore the challenge facing the US-installed Endara government as rebuilds a country shattered by invasion and US sanctions.
John. F. Weeks is Professor of International Politics and Economics at MIddlebury College. An internationally recognized development economist with extensive policy-related work in developing countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, Jamaica, Peru, and Nicaragua, he has served as consultant for most of the major multilateral agencies, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
