And Just Why Did We Invade Panama?

Does anyone remember why the United States invaded Panama? The day after the invasion, President Bush supplied his reasons. “The goals of the United States,” he said, “have been to safeguard the lives of Americans, to defend democracy in Panama, to combat drug trafficking and to protect the integrity of the Panama Canal Treaty. . . . I directed our armed forces . . . to bring General Noriega to justice in the United States.”

Let’s take a look at these claims.

To safeguard the lives of Americans. A few days before the invasion, an American marine was killed by Panamanian soldiers, and another American serviceman and his wife were arrested and beaten. Horrible actions—but do they justify an inv...