The Sounds of This Year’s Parade

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana


As I write this, countless high school marching bands are parading down Calle 50, a mere three-hundred feet from where my wife and I live, as the Republic of Panamá begins a week-long celebration of its independence from Colombia, which took place on November 3, 1903.

On that day, a little over a century ago, a group of Panamanian leaders, with the firm backing of the United States, declared Panamá an independent nation. From that point on, an intimate yet uneasy relationship between this small isthmian nation and the giant to the north was born when, thanks to Teddy Roosevelt’s obstinate leadership, the United States undertook one of the greatest engineering feats ever: the construction of the Panama Canal.

Although Panama began its life as a constitutionally demilitarized country (Why would they need a military with 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in the Canal Zone?), under the stealth guidance of American advisors, Panamá gradually built an army. Sadly, as Latin American history has repeatedly demonstrated, after seven decades of democratic rule, the Panamian military took full control of this peaceful nation in 1968.

Twenty years later, the military abuses had become so untenable that in December of 1989, then President George Herbert Bush was obliged to invade Panamá to remove General Manuel Antonio Noriega from power—this in spite of the close ties that Bush, when Director of the CIA, had formed with the Panamanian strongman.

To this day, Panamanians have mixed feelings about the US invasion. Many resent the violation of their nation’s sovereignty. But one good thing did come out of the invasion, I believe: the decision to dismantle the Panamanian army, forever. Today, like its neighbor, Costa Rica, Panamá does not have a military.

But that may change . . .

President George W. Bush is arriving next week for a two-day visit. In preparation for the president’s arrival, during the last three months and on separate occasions, Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State; Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense; Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI; and William Pope, the State Department’s Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, have visited Panamá. During each of their visits, these high-ranking officials have strongly urged the government of Martin Torrijos to take terrorism seriously. Furthermore, without qualms they have suggested that the best way to demonstrate their commitment to fighting terrorists would be to create a formidable security force whose main concern would be to protect the Panama Canal. In the absence of these functionaries, the current and former U.S. Ambassadors often repeat this message. At this point, every person who has been observing these events is sure that the rearming of Panamá will be near the top of President George W. Bush’s agenda when he visits.

The prospect of creating an elite fighting force has caused considerable concern among Panamanians. The overwhelming majority does not wish to see the return of goon rule. Still, in spite of their many fears, rebuilding the military would offer a ray of hope for hundreds of thousands of Panamanians who need a steady job. (In today’s La Prensa, in an article about the lack of options for this year’s crop of college and high school graduates, it’s expected that 200,000 will not be able to find employment—and this in a nation of only four million.) Thus, for many families who are driven by necessity, rebuilding the army, however unpleasant the thought, also represents a much needed source of income.

The U.S. officials who are bringing the issue to the forefront repeat the mantra that Panamanians need not fear remilitarization because there is a greater threat: Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. In response to this, every Panamanian I have spoken to says that they have yet to hear bin Laden proclaim the Republic of Panamá an enemy of Islam.

Admirably, President Martin Torrijos has responded coolly to this pressure, in spite of being the head of the Partido Democrático Revolucionario—the party formerly aligned with the military and founded by his father, General Omar Torrijos who, before Noriega, was Panama’s strongman.

In today’s issue of La Prensa, when asked his opinion of the U.S.’s repeated calls for Panamá to rearm itself, Alberto Alemán Zubieta, Administrative Director of the Panamá Canal, replied: “We take the threat of terrorism seriously. . . . However, it is not necessary to recur to this measure . . . because it is well known that terrorism is fought more efficiently by gathering intelligence than by mobilizing armies.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

What’s more, I think that members of President Bush’s team can learn much from Alemán Zubieta’s statement.

As I approach the conclusion of this piece, the sounds of the marching bands continues to break the customary Sunday afternoon stillness. Between the bright martial pieces of John Phillip Sousa and the blunt monochords of blaring bugles, one can also hear “Twist and Shout,” full renditions of songs by Rubén Blades, and joyful melodies gleaned from Panamá’s rich Caribbean and inland folklore—all being played with the vigorous enthusiasm of youth.

I hope the Independence Day celebrations continue to sound like this for years to come. I fear that if Panamá starts to seriously consider the counsel coming out of the White House these days, it won’t be long before the sounds of the parade become dark and ominous.

An Update

A couple of days prior to President George W. Bush's arrival, the rhetoric changed subtly. Now, instead of insisting that Panamá itself provide greater security for the Canal, U.S. officials have stated that the President would seriously consider a Panamanian invitation for the United States to once again station troops here. I'll leave to the readers of this post to speculate what's behind that agenda.