Product Description
Memoir of Panama's ambassador to the United States who waged a two-year battle against General Noriega to maintain control of the embassy in the name of the constitutional government of his nation ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great account of Panama and what happened in recent history
Noriega was one of the most controversial figures in Latin America.Sosa fought against Noriega and worked with the United States to bring him down. After being forced out of the embassy by Noriega Sosa would be one of the key figures to brining about his downfall. If you want an insiders look from someone who was involved this is a great start.If you are only learning about Noriega for the first time it can be a little daunting since this book does assume some knowledge of the affair.Overall though this book is worth your time to read.

Juan Sosa is a great writer!!!
Even if he is at time too pro american, Juan Sosa is a captivating writer. Although I would have loved to know more about the aftermath and still wonder why so many Panamanians died that famous day and so few americans.

Reviewer: Ines Chamorro, OAS Cultural Officer (1962-1989)
Ambassador Juan Sosa's IN DEFIANCE depicts the process and the strategy to restore democracy to his native Panama, and his personal battle even from his office in Washington, against one of the last military dictatorshipsthat characterized Latin American governments for many decades.As aColombian, I am compelled to hold a special view of the history of theconstruction of the Canal that eventually led to Panama's separation (wedon't call it independence) from Colombia.Also, as a former 0AS staffmember, I cannot but agree with the author's frustration in his dealingswith the Organization especially in that particular period when itsSecretary General, Baena Soares, Brazilian former minister of foreignrelations, was himself a product of the military regime of Brazil. Ambassador's Sosa's endurance in his quest form Panama's sovereignty isclearly shown in his book written in such a manner that it holds thereader's attention from cover to cover.

Review for In Defiance
I found In Defiance to be a highly informative and at times exciting and inspiring book. Considering that I knew how the story ended before I began reading, the fact that I found it difficult to put it down is the mark of agood story teller. Even though I followed the Noriega crisis rather closelyin the press as it unfolded ten years ago, the book provided manyfascinating details that were told from an "insider" point ofview.The close relationship between the Panamanian Embassy and the StateDepartment was particularly interesting.Author Juan Sosa alsointersperses the narration of the story with interesting information aboutLatin American politics (comments on the Organization of American Stateswere especially interesting).I found this book to be of interest not onlyas an historical account, but also because of its relevance to U.S. foreignrelations today -- for example, the ongoing debate about the U.S.obligation/right to intervene in the affairs of sovereign nations.

Comprehensive, objective narrative of Panama's politics.
Ambassador Juan Sosa has in-depth knowledge of his country and is able to present it in an objective fair manner. He is a stickler for detail and a master of diplomacy in describing US-Panama relations and in analyzing theplayers' motives and inspirations which ultimately caused eventsculminating in the US military action, Just Cause. Juan Sosa is proud ofhis nation and of his role in preserving the integrity of the Embassy inWashington under enormous pressure. For those of us Americans who lived inthis amazing little country, "In Defiance" makes the intricaciesof very complex issues most understandable. I think even General Noriegamight approve. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

evil man,book is ok..
Agree with above, except it seemed though at times the book was apologetic for this evil man.

Invading an entire country.......to get one man
Manuel Noriega was a manipulative, violent, untrustworthy, power hungry and generally unsavory guy.This book convincingly connects the dots in his rise to power and the relationships he used to his advantage.He appears to be no great nationalist, but an opportunist.For years he served the U.S. well in the War on Drugs while apparently profiting from it.What is the most educational theme of this book is the way in which several different parts of the government were involved in shaping our relations with Panama. The State Dept, DEA, CIA, FBI and NSC all had their interests to promote and protect. The author weaves together many threads, from the Contras and (briefly) BCCI to Colombian drug lords and Panamanian political corruption.There are interesting connections to George Bush, Jesse Helms and Oliver North.The author could have discussed in more depth the importance of taking away control of the canal from Panama in some government circles.The treaty signed by President Carter to hand over administration of the canal zone by 1999? was hotly contested, and it must have been rather convenient to have Noriega indicted for drugs as an excuse to remove him from power---as if invading a sovereign nation to get one man were justified.Overall, kudos to Mr. Dinges for a very detailed and very readable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Considered one of America's engineering marvels, the Panama Canal sparked intense debates in the 1970s over the decision to turn it back over to Panama. In this remarkable and revealing tale, noted journalist Adam Clymer shows how the decision to give up this revered monument of the "American century" stirred emotions already rubbed raw by the loss of the Vietnam War and shaped American politics for years.

Jimmy Carter made the Canal his first foreign policy priority and won the battle to ratify the Panama Canal treaties. But, Clymer reveals, the larger war was lost. The issue gave Ronald Reagan a slogan that kept his 1976 candidacy alive and positioned him to win in 1980, helped elect conservative senators who made a Republican majority, and fueled the overall growth of conservatism.

In telling the story of America's reconsideration of the 1903 treaty that gave it control of the Canal "in perpetuity," Clymer focuses on the perspectives of six key players: Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker, political candidate Gordon Humphrey, and Terry Dolan of the National Conservative Political Action Committee. His narrative illuminates many aspects of American politics during the Ford and Carter years--especially regarding Senate elections--that have been largely overlooked. And his chronicling of the emergence of political action committees on the right reveals their often-awkward relationship with the GOP and the uneasy alliances that helped the Republicans win control of the Senate in 1980.

Clymer explores how the uproar over the Canal episode foreshadowed perennial partisan attacks over intense, emotional issues from abortion to gun control to same-sex marriage. He also shows that people who hated the idea of giving up the canal gave birth to the NCPAC approach of beating up on an incumbent long before an election, often assisted by independent spending and outside advertising.

As Clymer argues, "The Panama Canal no longer divides Panama. But the fissures it opened 30 years ago have widened; they divide the United States." His even-handed account offers new insight into the "Reagan Revolution" and highlights an overlooked turning point in American political history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Interesting journalistic expose of the Panama Canal Treaties
Adam Clymer has attempted to demonstrate that the Panama Canal Treaties strongly impacted the rise of Conservatism in the 1970s and 1980s.However, he has better demonstrated that Conservatism rose alongside of these treaties within the context of the Cold War rather than proving that the treaties were the driving force.

The evidence Clymer has elected to use in the book shows that many of those opposed to ratification of the treaty to return control of the canal to Panama were primarily concerned about the Communists influencing daily operations in the Canal Zone and the way that would impact America.There are certainly highlights in the book that demonstrate that the fight over the Canal impacted American politics, especially in the 1978 & 1980 elections, but nowhere is it clearly spelled out that this single decisive issue caused the rise of the right.

I believe that this book is good food for thought, and it gives scholars good ideas on some facets of the rise of the right in these 2 pivotal elections, but it does not adequately explain how the Panama Canal treaties influenced the political right turn taken by America in the 1980s and 90s.

Drawing the Line at the Big Ditch
"Drawing the Line" is an intriguing analysis of how the issue of the Panama Canal Treaty was exploited by Ronald Reagan to gain the nomination of the Republican Party four years later. Clymer also describes how the issue galvanized the Republican Right. An important book for those interested in current American politics.

Robert November
Scarsdale, New York

Victory from Defeat
Clymer uses his reporting talents and writing skills to explain how the new American right lost the fight over the Panama Canal treaty, but used the loss to help win the White House for Ronald Reagan and energize the
right wing of the Republican Party. If you like to read about how high-stake politics are played, written by an ace Washington reporter, this is the one. ... Read more

Product Description
On 28 June 2007, the United States and Panama signed a free trade agreement (FTA) after two and half years and ten rounds of negotiations. This book discusses the proposed U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement, including the adoption of enforceable labour standards, compulsory adherence to select multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and facilitation of developing country access to generic drugs. This book also examines the political and economic conditions of Panama and their relationship to U.S. policies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essencial History of Panama and the dynamics of a dictatorship
I am biased towards this book.My father wrote it and I lived through some the events or observed while living abroad.This is required reading to understand American foreign policy in Latin America, Panama today, and the dynamics of military governments.Give it a try.You won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description
Johns and Johnson analyze the invasion of Panama in order to explore the ways in which the War on Drugs has been used as an ideological justification for a projection of U.S. state power into Latin America. They characterize the Bush Administration's reasons for the invasion as cynical ideological rhetoric which covered up strategic interests the United States had in deposing Noriega and replacing him with a more cooperative regime. The authors particularly discuss the role of media coverage, including the demonization of Noriega and the immediate adoption by the corporate media of the name "Operation Just Cause," in legitimating the invasion and transforming it in popular ideology as a law enforcement operation. Finally, they examine the aftermath of the invasion in the United States--Bush's popularity ratings, the distortion of civilian casualty information, the macho celebration of the war--and in Panama--the destruction of the labor and independence movements, the puppet Endara government, and the increased drug trafficking through Panama. ... Read more

Product Description
On December 20, 1989, the United States sent over ten thousand troops to Panama to overthrow the military government led by General Manuel Noriega. More than ten years after the invasion, how has the country adjusted? In this volume, scholars of Panamanian politics and society examine the political, economic, and social changes the country has faced following the U.S. invasion. In addition, they analyze the prospects for democratic stability as Panama prepares to take over control of the Panama Canal. "Post-Invasion Panama" is an important book for scholars of foreign policy and international relations interested in the United States's controversial role as an international police force. ... Read more