We Answer Only to God: Politics and the Military in Panama, 1903-1947

Who can forget the televised drama of American troops tracking down Panama’s ruler, General Noriega, in 1989? How did that event come to pass? Narcopolitics–or money from illegal drugs influencing national affairs–is not the sole answer. The antecedents of the military’s presence in the political life of Panama appear early in the twentieth century. This book makes unprecedented use of Panamanian sources to study the military. It argues that their control of politics is not a temporary aberration but a natural result of the country’s sociopolitical development. In exploring just how and when the military began dominating Panama’s government, Pearcy fundamentally reinterprets the nation’s modern history. He traces the slow and inevitable collapse of civilian rule during the first half of the century. “Provides new insight into the intricate social and political circumstances of Panamá today.”–Professor Fernando Aparicio, Universidad de Panamá