Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama

U.S.-Panamanian relations have been a traditional focus of Panamanian historiography, quite logically given the strategic location of the isthmus and its legacy of North American interventions. In 1953 Ernesto Castillero Pimentel published one of the earliest and most complete studies of the problematic interactions between the two countries. Walter LaFeber followed with his important work in 1978, and more recently John Major and Michael Conniff offered their assessments of this difficult relationship, tracing it from the construction of the transisthmian railroad in the 1850s to the late twentieth century and the U.S. exit from Panama. In contrast, John Lindsay-Poland’s book does not provide an all-inclusive study of the disputes and ties between the two nations. “It is not,” as he writes, “a comprehensive military or diplomatic history” (p. 3). Nevertheless, in this impressive work, Lindsay-Poland extends significantly our understanding of U.S. influence in Panama, by examining the impact of the...