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El colapso de Panamá: La historia de la invasion y el fin de la dictadura
Estados Unidos invadió Panamá en 1989 y el mundo entero tuvoalgo que decir
Las opiniones de entonces reflejaban juicios apresurados sobre las dos noticias más un país ocupado y la caída del dictador Manuel Antonio Noriega, aquel exjefe de inteligencia y fiable colaborador de la CIA que resultó más listo y goloso de lo que los norteamericanos esperaban.
Las multitudinarias protestas ciudadanas contra la dictadura, seguidas por una sangrienta invasión estadounidense, representan la etapa más dolorosa, cruenta y humillante de la historia de esta nación. Los panameños no la han olvidado, aunque la conocen fragmentada, recuerdan incidentes aislados o anécdotas puntuales. El tiempo ha hecho que queden más dudas que respuestas. Imperdonable sería obviarla.
Historia rigurosamente documentada es la que FernandoBerguido nos ofrece en El colapso de Panamá. La historia de la invasión y del fin de la dictadura. Han pasado ya treinta y cinco años de aquellos acontecimientos, y hasta ahora no se había abordado el periodo comprendido entre 1984 y 1989 de forma tan completa y fluida, con entrevistas inéditas a sus protagonistas, relatos desconocidos y documentos confidenciales que ven la luz por primera vez. Puede que quienes vivieron y sufrieron aquellos años descubran hechos que les sorprendan; los más jóvenes encontrarán en esta crónica, que a menudo parece sacada de la más pura ficción, las raíces de su pasado y claves que les ayuden a entender el presente.
Las opiniones de entonces reflejaban juicios apresurados sobre las dos noticias más un país ocupado y la caída del dictador Manuel Antonio Noriega, aquel exjefe de inteligencia y fiable colaborador de la CIA que resultó más listo y goloso de lo que los norteamericanos esperaban.
Las multitudinarias protestas ciudadanas contra la dictadura, seguidas por una sangrienta invasión estadounidense, representan la etapa más dolorosa, cruenta y humillante de la historia de esta nación. Los panameños no la han olvidado, aunque la conocen fragmentada, recuerdan incidentes aislados o anécdotas puntuales. El tiempo ha hecho que queden más dudas que respuestas. Imperdonable sería obviarla.
Historia rigurosamente documentada es la que FernandoBerguido nos ofrece en El colapso de Panamá. La historia de la invasión y del fin de la dictadura. Han pasado ya treinta y cinco años de aquellos acontecimientos, y hasta ahora no se había abordado el periodo comprendido entre 1984 y 1989 de forma tan completa y fluida, con entrevistas inéditas a sus protagonistas, relatos desconocidos y documentos confidenciales que ven la luz por primera vez. Puede que quienes vivieron y sufrieron aquellos años descubran hechos que les sorprendan; los más jóvenes encontrarán en esta crónica, que a menudo parece sacada de la más pura ficción, las raíces de su pasado y claves que les ayuden a entender el presente.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 13, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 10, 2025
Este libro debería ser de lectura obligatoria para todos los Panameños. Buen trabajo de investigación, claridad en la redacción; un gran recordatorio de eventos que como Panameños jamás debemos repetir.
March 20, 2025
So great that this came in Kindle edition, with its built in translator so I didn't have to screenshot every page and run it through Google translate!
This review is just for chapters 8 through the end. I'll read the others and probably add a review later.
This is largely well researched. The bibliography at the end is extensive and gives me new places to look. It has both English- and Spanish-language sources, which I've found to be unusual in writings about this topic. It is also fairly evenly balanced in its perspectives, which is also unusual.
I would describe the book as light on details about the invasion itself (at least compared to other books), but with many details I haven't found elsewhere about events such as the October 1989 coup, the collapsed negotiations for Noriega's retirement, and Noriega's stay at the Nunciature.
Its chapter dedicated largely to the exploration of the death toll was informative, bringing the perspective of several decades after the fact. I still think it's a little low. I didn't take good notes, and it's hard for me to skim through it again when I have to translate it into English, but I feel like it's still underestimated. I'm not sure it goes up to even 1000, as some have said, but I felt like the author only took into account bodies that have been found, ignoring, for the most part, accounts of cremated bodies (I think it mentions some cremation by Father Arteta, but not the gringo cremations), bodies thrown in the ocean, "disappeared," etc. If he can debunk those testimonies and rumors, I would like to hear his rationale.
Another small issue: I don't see how anyone could describe the Americans' surprise attack on the tiny Paitilla hangar as an "ambush" ("emboscada") by the Panamanians on the Americans. Poor word choice. In the Donnelly book (Operation: Just Cause) cited in the bibliography, the Americans admit to shooting first (not very being-ambushed-like) and blame the deaths of the SEALs on their tactical error of approaching the PRD standing side by side, making for easy targets.
I have this issue with many accounts of the invasion: Blaming the El Chorillo fire on the DigBats, when there are several testimonies of Panamanian residents about American soldiers systematically burning down houses. Granted, they are all anonymous out of a supposed fear of retaliation, but I would have preferred the author to at least mention it, or to mention that Father Arteta walked back from his testimony that the DigBats started the fire. I don't have a firm opinion of who did what, but I think the fact that the blame is under dispute should have been mentioned.
Conversely, some little gems I enjoyed:
I liked the little dig at the PRD: "...The PRD would achieve, thanks to the democracy it had previously destroyed, its first legitimate triumph at the polls" (referring to the election of the PRD's Balladeres). I know I praised the book for being relatively even-handed, but that made me laugh, so.... The author seemed to have an understanding that there were more pressing things on the early (non-PRD) administrations than funding and conducting an investigation into the death toll, which was refreshing compared to many Panamanian sources that throw Endara under the bus for his inactivity in this area. Going to guess that Berguido is decidedly not in favor of the PRD.
I also appreciated the blunt assertion "Thurman knew what happened was unacceptable" regarding the October coup. I've read enough accounts that either absolve Thurman with explanations that it was all part of his greater design, or exclude that he was involved entirely. Just that one sentence was intensely satisfying to read.
As an aside, who is "los Vernaza" Noriega attributes the death of Father Gallegos to? Does anyone have any insight into that? I'm very curious.
This review is just for chapters 8 through the end. I'll read the others and probably add a review later.
This is largely well researched. The bibliography at the end is extensive and gives me new places to look. It has both English- and Spanish-language sources, which I've found to be unusual in writings about this topic. It is also fairly evenly balanced in its perspectives, which is also unusual.
I would describe the book as light on details about the invasion itself (at least compared to other books), but with many details I haven't found elsewhere about events such as the October 1989 coup, the collapsed negotiations for Noriega's retirement, and Noriega's stay at the Nunciature.
Its chapter dedicated largely to the exploration of the death toll was informative, bringing the perspective of several decades after the fact. I still think it's a little low. I didn't take good notes, and it's hard for me to skim through it again when I have to translate it into English, but I feel like it's still underestimated. I'm not sure it goes up to even 1000, as some have said, but I felt like the author only took into account bodies that have been found, ignoring, for the most part, accounts of cremated bodies (I think it mentions some cremation by Father Arteta, but not the gringo cremations), bodies thrown in the ocean, "disappeared," etc. If he can debunk those testimonies and rumors, I would like to hear his rationale.
Another small issue: I don't see how anyone could describe the Americans' surprise attack on the tiny Paitilla hangar as an "ambush" ("emboscada") by the Panamanians on the Americans. Poor word choice. In the Donnelly book (Operation: Just Cause) cited in the bibliography, the Americans admit to shooting first (not very being-ambushed-like) and blame the deaths of the SEALs on their tactical error of approaching the PRD standing side by side, making for easy targets.
I have this issue with many accounts of the invasion: Blaming the El Chorillo fire on the DigBats, when there are several testimonies of Panamanian residents about American soldiers systematically burning down houses. Granted, they are all anonymous out of a supposed fear of retaliation, but I would have preferred the author to at least mention it, or to mention that Father Arteta walked back from his testimony that the DigBats started the fire. I don't have a firm opinion of who did what, but I think the fact that the blame is under dispute should have been mentioned.
Conversely, some little gems I enjoyed:
I liked the little dig at the PRD: "...The PRD would achieve, thanks to the democracy it had previously destroyed, its first legitimate triumph at the polls" (referring to the election of the PRD's Balladeres). I know I praised the book for being relatively even-handed, but that made me laugh, so.... The author seemed to have an understanding that there were more pressing things on the early (non-PRD) administrations than funding and conducting an investigation into the death toll, which was refreshing compared to many Panamanian sources that throw Endara under the bus for his inactivity in this area. Going to guess that Berguido is decidedly not in favor of the PRD.
I also appreciated the blunt assertion "Thurman knew what happened was unacceptable" regarding the October coup. I've read enough accounts that either absolve Thurman with explanations that it was all part of his greater design, or exclude that he was involved entirely. Just that one sentence was intensely satisfying to read.
As an aside, who is "los Vernaza" Noriega attributes the death of Father Gallegos to? Does anyone have any insight into that? I'm very curious.
November 5, 2025
Lectura obligatoria para los panameños
Es un recuento documentado, detallado y bien narrado de los sucesos importantes que vivió la República de Panamá desde 1968 hasta la caída del dictador Manuel A. Noriega, que marcan la historia del país, la lucha por la democracia y que todo ciudadano debe conocer.
Es un recuento documentado, detallado y bien narrado de los sucesos importantes que vivió la República de Panamá desde 1968 hasta la caída del dictador Manuel A. Noriega, que marcan la historia del país, la lucha por la democracia y que todo ciudadano debe conocer.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews