20 DEC 1989 - USA INVASION OF PANAMA

ARTICLE  December 15, 2014 The Proclamation Of A Lone Superpower Above The Law The Invasion Of Panama by MATT PEPPE http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/15/the-invasion-of-panama/ .................................... COMMENT / NOTES Thought this was a very good article. Below is what I got out of it: US had large Panama-stationed military force:  18 bases. Occupied Panama Canal Zone territory = sovereign US territory until 1979. Scheduled hand-over of Panama Canal: Partial ... transfer in 1990 Full ......... transfer in 2000 *Control over vital strategic asset at issue.  Military occupier US at advantage. Applicable Panama (& any target) USA modus operandi in pursuit aggressive agenda: 1) disseminate propaganda about “human rights abuses” 2) accuse govt / leader of heinous deed/s 3) provoke the target to elicit pretext for invasion / aggression. 4) on eliciting response, launch planned attack. Note:  as in Panama case, human rights abuse overlooked while US maintains grip. Brutal tyrants are friends ... until they commit the 'crime of independence', when they become US agenda villains. Panama US Invasion: UNSC passed a resolution condemning invasion. US joined by allies #UK & #France – vetoed it. Dangerous precedent set. USA Panama Invasion set stage for:  Iraq (1) Somalia (1) Serbia NATO bombing Iraq (2)  Afghanistan  Iraq (3)  Pakistan  Libya  Somalia (2)  Yemen  Iraq (4)  Syria Human rights language appropriated by USA: “humanitarian intervention” became new propaganda tool to justify military aggression. New humanitarian ethos = ideological weapons to (domestically & internationally) justify & legitimise USA aggressive global strategies. Aggressive War  Panama - USA INVASION 1989 = aggression against SOVEREIGN NATION Nuremberg Trials defined 'aggressive war':  evil punishable by death. USA1989 Invasion of PANAMA - act against sovereign nation, evil punishable by death yet George HW Bush: enjoys a luxurious retirement. considered by mainstream USA political opinion-makers a "foreign policy moderate". Source:  http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/15/the-invasion-of-panama/ Wow, that last bit is rather scary.  [*Need to learn to summarise better.  Most of the summary form is the author's words.]