During the Cold War era, the United States feared the spread of communism and, in some cases, overthrew democratically elected governments perceived at the time as becoming left-wing or unfriendly to U.S. interests. Examples include the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, the 1973 Chilean coup d'état and the support of the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The 1970s and 1980s saw a shift of power towards corporations, and a polarization of the political election systems of many of the Latin American nations. As of late, several left-wing parties have gained power through elections, and Venezuela under the late Hugo Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro has been particularly critical of U.S. foreign policy; Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Ecuador currently have governments sometimes seen as aligned with Venezuela, while Cuba and the U.S. continue to have non-existent relations. Left-wing governments in nations such as Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay are considerably more centrist and neutral; in 1998, Argentina was designated as major non-NATO ally, yet it is one of the most anti-U.S. nations in the world, having long since suspended its automatic alignment policy and distanced itself from the U.S., and is still embroiled in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands dispute with the U.K., the USA's closest ally. The right-wing governments in Mexico, Panama, and Colombia have closer relations with the U.S., with Mexico being the U.S.'s largest economic partner in Latin America and its third largest overall trade partner after Canada and China. Thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed with Canada and Mexico in 1994, the United States enjoys virtual duty-free trade with Mexico. Since 1994, the United States has signed other notable free-trade agreements with Chile in 2004, Peru in 2007, and most recently Colombia and Panama in 2011. Americans of Hispanic or Latin American ancestry comprise more than 15% of the total population of the United States or more than 50 million people, the vast majority of which are of Mexican ancestry. The entirety of Latin America is still part of the Organization of American States, and with the exception of Mexico (who withdrew by 2004), are currently bound by the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America%E2%80%93United_States_relations On November 4, 1903, the immediate support of the USA secured the Declaration of Independence of Panama from Colombia. In return, Panama signed the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty three weeks later, granting the USA sovereign rights over the interoceanic canal that would be built the following year. The evolution of the relation between Panama and the USA has followed the pattern of a Panamanian project for the recovering of the territory of the Canal of Panama, project which become public after the events of January 9, 1964, known in Panama as the Martyrs' Day (Panama), in which a riot over the right to raise the Panamanian flag in an American school in the vicinity of the Panama Canal. The following years saw a lengthy negotiation process, culminating with the Torrijos–Carter Treaties in which the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama was set to be completed in December 1999. The process of transition, however, was made difficult by the existence of the de facto military rule of Manuel Antonio Noriega in Panama from 1982 to 1989. The 1977 Panama Canal Treaties entered into force on October 1, 1979. They replaced the 1903 Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty between the United States and Panama (modified in 1936 and 1955), and all other U.S.-Panama agreements concerning the Panama Canal, which were in force on that date. The treaties comprise a basic treaty governing the operation and defense of the Canal from October 1, 1979 to December 31, 1999 (Panama Canal Treaty) and a treaty guaranteeing the permanent neutrality of the Canal (Neutrality Treaty). The details of the arrangements for U.S. operation and defense of the Canal under the Panama Canal Treaty are spelled out in separate implementing agreements. The Canal Zone and its government ceased to exist when the treaties entered into force and Panama assumed complete jurisdiction over Canal Zone territories and functions, a process which was finalized on December 31, 1999. On December 20, 1989, in order to arrest Manuel Noriega, the United States invaded Panama. The military intervention helped to swear into power the winners of the elections of May 1989, President Guillermo Endara. The History of the Relations between Panama and the USA are a mandatory course in the curriculum of Public High School in Panama. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama%E2%80%93United_States_relations

• published: 13 Oct 2014
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