Word: generality
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...General Manuel Antonio Noriega, the crisis seemed to grow more desperate by the day. As Panama suffered through a worsening cash crunch and continuing street protests, the strongman faced a revolt by some officers of the once unswervingly loyal Panamanian Defense Forces. The rebellion erupted shortly after dawn last Wednesday: residents living near Noriega's Panama City headquarters heard the crack of gunfire from inside the iron-gated compound. Reports of a coup quickly swept the capital. The rumors grew until 9:30 a.m., when Noriega appeared at a window and waved. Wearing a white guayabera sport shirt, the general...
Noriega also sought a deal with the National Civic Crusade, a coalition of business and professional groups that has demanded the general's departure. In return for stepping down as military chief, Noriega apparently wants to remain in Panama and to have a voice in reshaping the armed forces and the government. Crusade members insist that the general leave the country permanently...
...point all sides agreed: Noriega's five-year reign as Panama's strongman seems to be near an end. Support for the general has withered rapidly since President Eric Arturo Delvalle tried to dismiss him as chief of | the Defense Forces last month. When Noriega flexed his muscle by engineering Delvalle's ouster instead, Washington responded by heeding Delvalle's plea for a freeze on some $50 million in Panamanian funds in U.S. banks and imposed other sanctions as well. The moves forced Panama to shut its banks, slowing down a once fast-paced economy and driving thousands, from doctors...
...Administration remained determined to keep the pressure on Noriega. Questioned during a White House photo session, President Reagan told reporters, "We do want Noriega out of there and a return to a civilian democratic government." As the crisis deepened, Spain confirmed that it would offer political asylum to the general, provided that the U.S. agreed not to demand his extradition. Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez was expected to discuss the Panamanian situation this week during a visit to Costa Rica. If Noriega does go abroad, he might settle first in Spain and eventually in France, where he is believed...
With the strongman's departure possibly looming, some experts are worried about the shape a post-Noriega Panama will take. "Nobody is looking at who will be left in the general's absence," says a Panamanian in the U.S. who wants Noriega to quit. "People say Noriega is a thug, but there is a group in the army that is far worse...