The complete title of this short volume in a Hoover Institution Series on Politics in Latin America suggests a treatise on the political activity of Panama’s uniformed force. In his foreword, however, series editor Robert Wesson promises a factual and systematic coverage of the politics of this Central American country. The author’s preface indicates as a broader purpose of his book an “introductory examination of Panamanian politics” that would help to address the existing imbalance in North American literature, where most sources on Panamanian politics focus on a “web of diplomatic relations,” rather than on the domestic political system.
After referring to the often-overlooked nineteenth-century separatist movements, Ropp focuses on the development of Panamanian political institutions, including the National Police (later the National Guard), following independence from Colombia. In a 1968 coup, the National Guard brought down the fledgling third administration of Arnulfo Arias, as well as the “pre-1968 conformations of power.” Ropp details the triumph of Omar Torrijos Herrera in the leadership struggle among guard officers and the expansion of Torrijos’s power base to include labor unions (chapters 3 and 4). General Torrijos’s sudden “return to the barracks” in 1978 forced changes in political structures and processes in order to assure his predominance. An official Democratic Revolutionary party was formed from among the supporters of the regime, such as rural and urban laborers, public employees, businessmen, women, and youth. A preponderant role for the National Guard was assured. Growth of the public sector, as well as modifications in the structure of government at various levels, are commented upon in chapter 6. The final chapters deal with modifications in foreign relations following the establishment of a new regime over the Panama Canal.
Those who follow Panamanian politics closely will welcome this introductory volume, which chronicles the initiation of deep structural and procedural changes without the upheaval accompanying the transformation of some Central American countries. Ropp cautions, however, that Panamanian politics may become “quite volatile” in the 1980s before the central role of labor unions and the National Guard is accepted (p. 137).
Bibliography for the study includes works by Panamanians. Recent unpublished dissertations on the isthmian nation are not overlooked; but little use is made of government documents. The author relies on personal interviews in Panama with political, academic, and union leaders. Tables and maps complement the text. Helpful information is included in the footnotes.
