The minimum you must know

Panama is an advanced country with modern cities strategically located in Central America near the shortest land route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where a trans-oceanic canal was built that became one of the most important maritime routes globally. Panama is also important because it's the only land route for refugees and migrants to take from South to North America. Recently ten million Venezuelan and other migrants have passed through Panama on their way to Mexico, the United States and Canada. Finally, Panama is a Switzerland of Central America because of its similar banking secrecy laws, that have attracted affluent depositors globally.

President José Raúl Mulino Quintero was elected during the second half of 2024. His foreign policy is to address mass migration by solving poverty in departure countries, so that good citizens prefer to remain there. Panama's banking secrecy laws will probably remain unchanged. But the president said he believes tackling international corruption is primarily important.

President Quintero did not join his many contemporaries in patterning "peace" at the United Nations. But his speech was advanced and ethical in other important linguistic ways. For instance, he neglected to use inciting vocabulary words.

This writer believes that Panama is right to want people in all departure countries to be able to participate in the global economy, particularly in Venezuela. This writer also believes Panama may want to work closely with the United States to halt the flow of migration across the Panama canal. The Panama Canal is the shortest coast-to-caost land distance to patrol, and an obvious area of potential cooperation between Presidents Trump and Quintero as a result.

President Donald Trump is insisting on fair treatment for U.S. vessels passing through the Panam Canal. Here is how his own newspaper expressed the U.S. position.

”The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under a 1977 deal signed by Democratic president Jimmy Carter.

Panama took full control in 1999.

"It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!"

He continued that if Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question."

Panama is at peace and presumably seeks improving relations with all other countries.