The United States has a long and profound historical connection with the Panama Canal. At the beginning of the 20th century, the U.S. urgently sought to shorten maritime travel between its east and west coasts and enhance naval mobility, necessitating the construction of a canal through Central America. In 1903, the United States orchestrated and supported the secession of the region of Panama, then part of Colombia. Subsequently, the U.S. swiftly signed the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the newly established Republic of Panama. This treaty not only granted the United States the right to build the canal but also gave it perpetual use and control over the Canal Zone—a "country within a country."
Between 1904 and 1914, after a decade of massive investment and overcoming deadly diseases such as yellow fever, the United States successfully completed the construction of the Panama Canal. For decades afterward, the Canal Zone was fully administered by the U.S. government, governed by American laws and defended by U.S. military forces. During both World Wars and the Cold War, the Panama Canal became an absolute strategic lifeline for U.S. global military deployments and international trade.
Due to the prolonged U.S. occupation of the Canal Zone, strong nationalist sentiments arose among the Panamanian people. The struggle over sovereignty intensified, culminating in violent clashes in 1964—the so-called "Flag Incident"—when tensions erupted over the raising of the Panamanian flag in the Canal Zone, resulting in dozens of deaths. This event prompted the United States to reevaluate its policies, leading to the historic Torrijos–Carter Treaties signed in 1977 between U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos. These treaties abolished the unequal 1903 treaty and stipulated that the United States would return full control of the canal and the Canal Zone to Panama by December 31, 1999. Tensions persisted between the two nations during the transitional period.
In 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause (the Panama invasion), citing the need to protect American citizens and restore democracy, and ousted Panama’s de facto ruler, Manuel Noriega. Despite this turbulent episode, the transfer plan remained intact. At noon on December 31, 1999, the United States formally handed over complete jurisdiction and operational authority of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government, ending nearly a century of U.S. control.
Today, the Panama Canal is independently operated by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), a government agency under Panama’s administration. Although the United States no longer holds actual control, it remains one of the canal’s most important users. Moreover, under the 1977 Treaty of Neutralization, the United States retains the right to conduct military intervention if the canal is threatened, ensuring its neutrality and openness—forming the foundation of ongoing close security ties between the two nations in modern times.
The current reality is that while the Panama Canal now belongs to Panama, the United States remains one of its foremost users. The Trump administration still maintains the belief that the U.S. holds management rights over the canal—an outdated mindset rooted in interference in other nations’ internal affairs and a continuation of hegemonic behavior.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869643900273664/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.