Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the US in Panama
by John Lindsay-Poland
Duke University Press (Durham & London 2003)
256 pages, $18.95 in paperback

John Lindsay-Poland, the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation's Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean, has written a book that adds a new dimension to the study of US-Panamanian relations. "Emperors in the Jungle" is neither a complete chronological overview of the relationship nor a view of the subject from all sides. However, it's an invaluable look at how the American side saw things during various key episodes and a unique guide to recent bilateral diplomacy.

In a prior generation, much of what was written in English about US-Panamanian relations was shaded by Cold War perspectives. However, despite geopolitics from which the Crossroads of the World cannot be immune, and despite the activities of a Panamanian left that generally thinks that Fidel is a cool guy, substantial distortions were required to attribute key events like the Day of the Martyrs to foreign manipulations.

Later, Americans came to "know" Panama by reference to a "War on Drugs," a huge and Byzantine operation, part of which which entailed millions of dollars worth of bribes paid to narcotics traffickers in exchange for their testimony for the prosecution at Manuel Antonio Noriega's trial. Again, Panama's location along key drug running routes creates very real problems, but the drug conspiracy lens affords just as distorted a view of US-Panamanian relations as does the red conspiracy lens.

John Lindsay-Poland looks at the relationship through the lenses of evolving perceptions of the natural environment, race relations, US military doctrines and imperatives, the wimp factor in American politics and the economics of globalization. He focuses upon Dr. Gorgas's ideas about making the tropics safe for white people --- "safe" from both insect-borne diseases and the moral degeneration believed inherent in "going native." He recounts the history of chemical weapons storage and testing here, and the rise and fall of ideas about blasting a sea-level canal with nuclear explosions. He gets into the Drug War propaganda that pinned images of Manuel Antonio Noriega and African-American hoodlums on the crack epidemic that swept across North America in the 80s. He tells of the diplomacy and flim-flam that accompanied the US military withdrawal from the isthmus, and of Panama's reliance on market forces to incorporate the former Canal Zone into the national economy.

The result is a work with a few little flaws, but nevertheless a scholarly masterpiece that will withstand fierce criticism and the test of time. Oh, sure, the guys who told reporters that there is no environmental problem at former US military sites, or that any remedy is impracticable, will call "Emperors in the Jungle" a pack of lies. People who insist that the events of January 9-11, 1964 were a plot hatched in Havana will dismiss the book as anti-American. Those who are convinced that Panama is now controlled by Chinese troops will also "know" Lindsay-Poland to be the subject of brainwashing. But set aside all of these dogmatic presumptions, because here we have a discussion about motives that makes McCullough's "The Path Between the Seas" and Coniff's "Black Labor on a White Canal" more sensible. Here we have the continuation and context that make Jorden's "Panama Odyssey" and all the post-invasion Noriega books more understandable.

In this Panamanian centennial year, "Emperors of the Jungle" is one of the books that people down here need. It helps us to get past the clichés in order to make an accurate assessment of where we have been and chart a course toward greater prosperity and dignity.

Our neighbors to the north will find the book useful in other ways. As the government in Washington promotes a heavier US hand in Latin American affairs, people who have read John Lindsay-Poland's book will better understand the premises, purposes, strengths and weaknesses of such arguments as those in favor of Plan Colombia.