Panama: The Whole Story

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About Panama: The Whole Story

Product Description Presents a complete overview of the Panama situation, including full reports on the U.S. invasion and Noriega's prosecution From Publishers Weekly In a tense narrative that reads like a spy thriller, Buckley traces Manuel Noriega's ascension to power and his ties to the U.S. government. The book begins with an account of the murder of Noriega opponent Hugo Spadafora in 1985, which set in motion the chain of events culminating in Operation Just Cause in December 1989. Buckley raises questions about the invasion ("the single bloodiest event in Panama's history") and suggests that very little benefit to either side was accomplished other than the ouster of Noriega. The author describes Noriega's daily life in the "Dictator's Suite" at the Metropolitan Correctional Center near Miami and explains how his "long record of service" to Washington is in large part responsible for the bizarre legal tangle that threatens to delay his trial indefinitely. A former Newsweek bureau chief in Saigon, Buckley presents a gripping account of Central American-style hubris in action and grievous foreign-policy bungling on the part of the Americans. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal The author, a former Newsweek correspondent, vividly describes events leading up to the "Just Cause" invasion of Panama by U.S. troops. His book covers the complexities of Panamanian political intrigues, the corruption, the political culture, the involvement of the United States with Manuel Noriega, and the interaction between Noriega and the major domestic and international actors from 1986 through January 1990. Using details and anecdotal information, Buckley fleshes out the motivations and actions of each character, maintaining throughout a sense of suspense and mystery, even for the specialist familiar with the events. Highly recommended for all libraries. - Roderic A. Camp, Central Coll., Pella, Ia. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews From former Newsweek correspondent Buckley, an intriguing history of the demise of the corrupt Noriega regime--and of America's close relationship with it. Buckley's tale of the rise of Noriega to power is, for Americans, not simply the standard story of Third World despotism. Since its creation by a group of Americans and European businessmen, Panama's domestic and foreign affairs have been dominated by the US. Buckley shows convincingly how Noriega exploited American ties in order to perpetuate his own power within Panama and maximize profit--Reagan Administration officials knew of Noriega's drug activities, but tolerated them because of Noriega's help in their efforts to subvert the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. Buckley describes straightforwardly how Noriega's murder of a political rival, Dr. Hugo Spadafora, led to sensational stories in the American press, an international outcry, calls for Noriega's ouster, and ultimately to a collapse of relations between the US and Panama. Buckley tells also of the plebiscite that resulted in the election of Guillermo Endara, which Noriega invalidated, and of the failed coup attempt. Finally, he describes ``Operation Just Cause,'' the American invasion that resulted in Noriega's ouster but that failed to achieve the Bush Administration's goals for Panama (Bush promised $1 billion in aid, but Congress eventually approved only $420 million, of which only $120 million reached Panama; poverty, unemployment, and crime levels soared in the ruined country) or for Noriega (while Noriega remains in prison, it appears increasingly unlikely he will be punished for any crime. A forthright, fast-paced story that illustrates the frequent absurdity of American intervention in Panama, and the failure of American policy toward that country. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.