The Enemy Within

by Kenneth Jones

Just after midnight on December 20, 1989 the U.S. launched a massive attack on the tiny Republic of Panama or, more correctly, on her dictator, Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega and his army. The story of the invasion and the events leading up to it is laced with international intrigue, dirty deeds, abuse of power, Latin American political strife; and has a cast of characters even featuring a Brazilian witch who escaped from the clutches of U.S. soldiers. This book is a factual and pictorial account of events which, had they been presented in the form of a novel, would scarcely have been believable. In order to understand why the U.S.A. invaded Panama's sovereign territory, causing severe loss of life and risking international censure, it is necessary to trace Panama's history from the Republic in 1903. It is clear that Uncle Sam, apart from an undeniable responsibility for paternity, has always maintained his role of disciplinarian over the problematic republic. Uncle Sam was negligent in recent years, however, and had allowed his own secret agent, Manuel Noriega to rise to dictatorship of Panama. Using his army, the Panama Defense Forces, beefed up by U.S. funds, and backed by corrupt local politicians, Noriega browbeat his opposition and thumbed his nose at the U.S., finally instructing his compliant assembly to declare itself at war with the U.S.A. The U.S. responded in a dramatic fashion and achieved all their objectives, including the hide of General Noriega who has been tried and convicted in Florida on drug trafficking charges. U.S. soldiers probing Noriega's military lairs and opulent homes uncovered illuminating facets of his character, his megalomania and his predilection for the dark forces of the occult.

156 pages, Library Binding

Published October 15, 1990

Reviews

[Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lived in Panama for two years from 2001-2003 and I heard about Noriega and the US invasion, but I didn't really know too much about it. I heard that this book was a good synopsis of the invasion and the events leading up to it, so I acquired it. It sat on my shelf for several years before I finally got around to reading it.

The book seems somewhat amateurish. It reads kind of like a long paper written for a freshman or sophomore college history class. It's littered with typos -- which is fine for something online, but isn't expected in a printed book.

Nevertheless, I got what I was looking for: some background to the US invasion, some light Panamanian history, and some information about Manuel Noriega. I'll also admit that I enjoyed the many photos that the author included in the book. It helped to visualize what the people and invasion were like.

I am amazed that less than 25 years ago, and only 11 years before I arrived in the country, Panama was essentially ruled by a dictator who beat up and murdered people opposed to him. This is one invasion that the US got right -- Panama's government was fixed and democracy was restored. Of course, Panama still suffers from some corruption, but it's certainly better off than it was and it has regular, free and fair elections.

One topic I'm still somewhat curious about is what happened in Chorillo -- a rough neighborhood right in Panama City. The author didn't really know, and didn't even speculate very much. I had heard that the US misplaced a bomb and 2000 people died, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for significant detail and commentary on the events surrounding Noriega's rule, but for someone wanting a quick summary somewhere in between Wikipedia and a 300 page nonfiction, this might be a good choice.