Amerika owes reparations, not token gestures

Has Amerika turned over another leaf and given up its wealth-
sucking, land grabbing, murderous ways?
On January 13, Amerika announced that it would "give back" 84,000 
acres it stole from the Ute Nation.(1) On December 31,
Amerika officially resigned its control of the Panama Canal. These 
are token gestures with Amerikan imperialist interests behind 
them.
Furthermore, the gestures fail to make a dent in the large debt 
Amerika owes oppressed nations. --MC53

Amerika returns Canal but owes more

Amerika has relinquished control of the Panama Canal after more 
than 96 years of occupation. Amerika portrayed itself once again 
as the benevolent donor to those less fortunate. And Panamanian 
President Mireya Moscoso said: "[This] is proof that mutual 
understanding between peoples and diplomatic negotiations are the 
correct avenues for the resolution of conflicts between 
nations."(3) It comes as no surprise to MIM that the now-we-are-
neighbors rhetoric has censored mention of thousands murdered as a 
result of the u.$. occupation.

In 1977, General Omar Torrijos and President Jimmy Carter signed 
the two Panama Canal Treaties to eventually end u.$. military 
occupation of the Canal and its surrounding 147,000 square miles. 
However, it was not diplomacy that led to the agreement. Anti-
Amerikan protests in the early 1960s pushed the issue of 
Panamanian sovereignty. Protests climaxed when students flew their 
nation's flag at an Amerikan school within the Canal -- within 
Panama. Amerikans killed 32 students, wounded more than 300 and 
arrested another 500.(4)

Amerika had pursued its own imperialist interests by backing the 
separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903 and taking over 
military control. Similarly, Amerika manipulated Panamanian 
politics through roughly 20 direct military campaigns, CIA 
training and funding of lackeys, and adjustments of so-called aid 
as a means to pull the puppet strings.(4) The U.$. also used 
Panamanian land to train 45,000 mercenaries for domination of 
other Latin American nations before the School of the Americas 
moved to Ft. Benning, Georgia.

On December 20, 1989, Amerika conducted its 20th direct military 
invasion with 26,000 troops and the newest weapons -- which it 
would later use against the people of Iraq. Amerika invaded under 
the guise of protecting Amerikan lives and stopping drug 
trafficking. During the invasion, the United Snakes murdered 
estimates of up to 7,000 Panamanians, only 51 of whom were 
soldiers in the Panama Defense Forces.(4) In the wake of Amerika's 
"Just Cause" operation, Panamanians found thousands of their homes 
destroyed, their family members buried in mass graves, 
neighborhood infrastructure destroyed and their nation's 
sovereignty utterly ignored.

Some politicians still regard the treaties as a loss to the United 
Snakes. During Reagan's presidential campaign, he made the canal a 
large issue. He said "We built it. We paid for it. It's ours and 
we're going to keep it."(3) Amerikans echoing his words, lament 
the 'cost' of the Canal building, claiming to have spent $352 
million and lost 5,609 lives in the construction.(5)

As Marxists, we understand that such capital expenditures come 
from exploitation -- not from hard work and penny pinching of 
capitalists. The capital Amerika invested has been returned in 
full through its profits from and access to the canal. In 
addition, its former military base enabled the U.$. to deploy 
troops in Latin America to secure puppet governments and 
imperialist exploits.

One Senator sees the turnover as a loss but would like 
negotiations to re-establish Amerikan bases there. In exchange, 
the United Snakes would graciously clean up its leftover 
unexploded ammunition.(3)

Amerika may see the Canal return as a turnover of a multi-billion 
dollar enterprise, but the Amerikans should never have occupied 
the land in the first place. The lives of Panamanians, whether as 
workers on the Canal or as families bombed in 1989, are 
unimportant to the United Snakes. Amerika owes reparations for the 
military destruction, the lost lives, the lost revenue from 86 
years of Canal operations and now for the cost burden taken to 
make use of the former Air Force base and other land.

People celebrating the turnover on December 31st raised anti-
Amerikan slogans and openly commemorated the deaths of those 
murdered by the United Snakes.(6) For MIM's part, we will not 
allow Amerikan history to slip into dusty un-opened books. As 
Amerika builds its image of benevolence, it is important that we 
educate about the history of Amerikan military force and about the 
backs upon which Amerikan wealth was made. We hope to see 
continued developments of anti-imperialism in Panama and do not 
fear the day when Panamanian proletarian-led anti-imperialists 
demonstrate their strength and force Amerika to pay its debt.

Notes to both stories on canal:
1. New York Times, 14 January 2000, p. A13.
2. Northern Ute Indian Tribe webpage: http://www.ubtanet.com/~northernute/index.html
3. New York Times, 12 December 1999, p. A6.
4. John Weeks and Phil Gunson. Panama: Made in the USA. Latin American Bureau; New York, 1991.
5. New York Times, 15 December 1999, p. A12.
6. New York Times, 1 January 2000, p. A15.