[image: U.S. Officers, drilling to defend the Panama Canal, ponder contingencies.]
For America’s action-oriented President, invading Panama—a country without an Army–is a simple task. Of course, taking control of Panama without damaging the Panama Canal itself or harming American citizens in the process might be a little harder. But the real challenge, once the U.S. invades, will be in occupying a restive country of 4.4 million while the Administration figures out what it wants to do with its new acquisition. A deal is Panama’s best defense.
Without a better understanding of the challenges involved in taking, holding, and then managing Panama, a U.S. incursion is likely <www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2025/01/31/future-of-panama-canal-is-on-the-line-as-marco-rubio-arrives/>. Laying out a public deal, and then forcing the U.S. public to really understand the cost of a contested occupation is the only viable option.
Panama isn’t helping itself right now. Despite warnings from the U.S. President and an ultimatum delivered by Marco Rubio, America’s Secretary of State, Panama has held its ground and made no real concessions.
It’s getting ugly. Rather than patiently explain the real costs of a contested U.S. takeover, Panama’s elites are choosing to dissemble and delay.
Panama’s public commitment to China’s debt-trap-oriented “Belt and Road Initiative” is less than meets the eye. Reportedly, Panama gave China notice that it would not renew their Belt and Road agreement. That sounds great, but the agreement is set to expire in “one to two years <www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/won-t-renew-belt-and-road-deal-with-china-says-panama-president-amid-us-pressure/ar-AA1yiznA>” from now. In essence, the much-ballyhooed announcement is little more than an easily reversed delaying tactic.
Panama has also rebuffed a U.S. demand that the Panama Canal Authority offer U.S. government ships both prioritization and a free passage, saying the matter required further study.
Concerningly, the U.S. State Department’s rhetoric—Secretary Rubio’s over-the-top claims of concessions and a subsequent State Department statement that U.S. warships will get free passage <www.axios.com/2025/02/06/panama-canal-us-vessels-fees> through the canal—are out of touch with reality. These unreal bromides raise the risk that a presidential phone call from the White House—scheduled for Friday, February 7 <newsroompanama.com/2025/02/04/trump-hopes-to-talk-with-mulino-this-friday-to-discuss-the-panama-canal/>–will spiral out of control.
For Panama, delay is a perilous tactic. The Administration won’t respond well if an intransient Panama gets between Trump and some of his major priorities.
The Presidential threat to Panama is real. Within hours of President Trump’s inauguration, two of America’s relatively mission-ready big flat-deck amphibious assault vessels—USS *Wasp* (LHD 1) in the Atlantic and USS *Boxer* (LHD 4) in the Pacific—moved to Navy ammunition piers, ostensibly to “off-load” ammunition. Regardless of if the ships were off-loading or on-loading their warfighting gear, the simultaneous actions are likely an indication that somebody, somewhere in the Pentagon, sensed Trump’s rhetoric was an indicator of potential tasking–and responded accordingly.
GO HERE FOR MORE www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2025/02/06/facing-threat-of-us-invasion-a-deal-is-panamas-best-defense/ THE PROPHETIC NEWS SERVICE by MESSIAH’S BRANCH is an independent NEWS & RESEARCH MINSITRY FUNDED only by your kind donations, ANY SIZE DONATION HELPS GREATLY, Please go here to donate! prophecyhour.com/donations/ WE ALSO HAVE A MISSION CHURCH FOUND HERE wichitahomeless.com/
For America’s action-oriented President, invading Panama—a country without an Army–is a simple task. Of course, taking control of Panama without damaging the Panama Canal itself or harming American citizens in the process might be a little harder. But the real challenge, once the U.S. invades, will be in occupying a restive country of 4.4 million while the Administration figures out what it wants to do with its new acquisition. A deal is Panama’s best defense.
Without a better understanding of the challenges involved in taking, holding, and then managing Panama, a U.S. incursion is likely <www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2025/01/31/future-of-panama-canal-is-on-the-line-as-marco-rubio-arrives/>. Laying out a public deal, and then forcing the U.S. public to really understand the cost of a contested occupation is the only viable option.
Panama isn’t helping itself right now. Despite warnings from the U.S. President and an ultimatum delivered by Marco Rubio, America’s Secretary of State, Panama has held its ground and made no real concessions.
It’s getting ugly. Rather than patiently explain the real costs of a contested U.S. takeover, Panama’s elites are choosing to dissemble and delay.
Panama’s public commitment to China’s debt-trap-oriented “Belt and Road Initiative” is less than meets the eye. Reportedly, Panama gave China notice that it would not renew their Belt and Road agreement. That sounds great, but the agreement is set to expire in “one to two years <www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/won-t-renew-belt-and-road-deal-with-china-says-panama-president-amid-us-pressure/ar-AA1yiznA>” from now. In essence, the much-ballyhooed announcement is little more than an easily reversed delaying tactic.
Panama has also rebuffed a U.S. demand that the Panama Canal Authority offer U.S. government ships both prioritization and a free passage, saying the matter required further study.
Concerningly, the U.S. State Department’s rhetoric—Secretary Rubio’s over-the-top claims of concessions and a subsequent State Department statement that U.S. warships will get free passage <www.axios.com/2025/02/06/panama-canal-us-vessels-fees> through the canal—are out of touch with reality. These unreal bromides raise the risk that a presidential phone call from the White House—scheduled for Friday, February 7 <newsroompanama.com/2025/02/04/trump-hopes-to-talk-with-mulino-this-friday-to-discuss-the-panama-canal/>–will spiral out of control.
For Panama, delay is a perilous tactic. The Administration won’t respond well if an intransient Panama gets between Trump and some of his major priorities.
The Presidential threat to Panama is real. Within hours of President Trump’s inauguration, two of America’s relatively mission-ready big flat-deck amphibious assault vessels—USS *Wasp* (LHD 1) in the Atlantic and USS *Boxer* (LHD 4) in the Pacific—moved to Navy ammunition piers, ostensibly to “off-load” ammunition. Regardless of if the ships were off-loading or on-loading their warfighting gear, the simultaneous actions are likely an indication that somebody, somewhere in the Pentagon, sensed Trump’s rhetoric was an indicator of potential tasking–and responded accordingly.
GO HERE FOR MORE www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2025/02/06/facing-threat-of-us-invasion-a-deal-is-panamas-best-defense/ THE PROPHETIC NEWS SERVICE by MESSIAH’S BRANCH is an independent NEWS & RESEARCH MINSITRY FUNDED only by your kind donations, ANY SIZE DONATION HELPS GREATLY, Please go here to donate! prophecyhour.com/donations/ WE ALSO HAVE A MISSION CHURCH FOUND HERE wichitahomeless.com/