Panama Court Declares US 'Win' Against China, Reasserting Imperial Grip
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek frames a Panama court's decision in favor of a US company, which Trump's administration advocated for, as a 'win' against Chinese influence over crucial Panamanian port operations near the Canal. The article presents this as a strategic victory for American interests and a setback for Beijing's expanding global infrastructure projects. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU:
Historical Context: In 1903, the United States engineered Panama's secession from Colombia to secure rights for the construction and control of the Panama Canal. This was explicitly for US strategic and commercial interests, bypassing Colombian sovereignty. For decades, the Canal Zone remained under direct US administration, a stark symbol of imperial control, only fully handed back to Panama on
December 31, 1999, after decades of Panamanian resistance and negotiations like the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties. Double Standard: Western media routinely decries 'Chinese debt traps' and 'economic coercion' when Beijing invests in infrastructure abroad, often overlooking the exploitative history of Western resource extraction and infrastructure control. When China invests, it's a 'threat'; when
the US asserts dominance, it's a 'win' for market principles, even in a country where its historical intervention was undeniably imperialist. The focus here is on containing a perceived rival, not on truly upholding Panama's self-determination. Follow the Money: Beyond the immediate corporate interests, the broader 'win' for the US reinforces its geopolitical and military hegemony in the Western