Panama finds itself caught in Washington’s crosshairs as the U.S. President, Donald Trump, indiscriminately indulges his penchant to provoke partners and rivals, far and near, even before he officially entered the White House for his second term in office. Trump claimed in a social media post on Christmas Day that China was illegally operating the Panama Canal, which the U.S. finished building in 1914, and held partial or full control until its complete handover in 1999 to Panama. More ominous was President Trump’s pledge to take back the arterial waterway by force if necessary. It is, of course, beside the point that the Central American nation has been a close ally of Washington and boasts strong........

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