Word: noriega
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Concerned that Noriega's proclivity for street violence might put Americans in Panama at risk, President George Bush ordered some 2,000 troops to join the 10,300 American soldiers already stationed on Panamanian soil. He advised all U.S. Government employees and dependents living off U.S. bases to move temporarily to safer quarters, and recalled Ambassador Arthur Davis, a step just short of breaking off diplomatic relations...
Washington's response to Noriega's provocations was measured and moderate, particularly in view of its 18-month-old campaign to oust him. But Noriega's departure continues to be Washington's main goal, and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft disclosed last week that the U.S. has resumed efforts to find a country willing to offer Noriega refuge. In unusually blunt language, Bush told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday that "the will of the people should not be thwarted by this man and a handful of Doberman thugs. They ought to do everything they...
...Noriega, who remained out of sight for most of the week, did not emerge unscathed from the sorry election exercise. Panamanian voters dealt him a stinging rebuke in rejecting, by more than 2 to 1, the presidential candidacy of Carlos Duque, the general's longtime friend and business manager. So clear was the electorate's embrace of the opposition, a coalition known as the Democratic Alliance of Civil Opposition and led by lawyer Guillermo Endara, that authorities felt obliged to declare the election null and void. That decision was widely interpreted as an admission by Noriega that given such...
Even though his election plans were disrupted, Noriega remained in control of Panama. But his rule is no longer as absolute as it was a week ago. The elections bestowed a certain legitimacy on the opposition and forced Noriega to consult more frequently than usual with the military, the key to his power. Noriega may also be looking over his shoulder more often at rank-and-file members of the PDF , as the general's election analysts concede that significant numbers of uniformed voters chose Endara over Duque. Even Panama's highly influential Roman Catholic Church, which had remained silent...
Endara, a political disciple of the late Panamanian President Arnulfo Arias, ran a spirited campaign in the three months before the May 7 voting. Washington funneled some $10 million in campaign funds to the opposition, evidently hoping that if Endara and his running mates won, Noriega would be forced to reach an accommodation with them. As Panamanians turned out in large numbers to cast their ballots, Endara had reason to be confident: polls showed he was favored over Duque by at least 2 to 1 and perhaps by as much as 3 to 1. But Noriega apparently deluded himself into...