The Geopolitical Dilemma of Panamanian Social Movements (1950-1960)

Abstract

This study analyzes the influence of the Cold War on Panamanian social movements during the 1950s and 1960s, specifically Operation Sovereignty (1958), Operation Planting of Flags (1959), and the events of January 9, 1964. Using a qualitative approach and a historical documentary design, declassified primary sources from the United States government, contemporary press reports, and specialized secondary sources were reviewed. The results indicate that, although the U.S. government labeled these protests as infiltrated by international communism, empirical evidence demonstrates that they fundamentally stemmed from a nationalist sentiment of reclaiming sovereignty over the Canal Zone, a sentiment fostered by decades of discrimination and foreign domination. The study concludes that the Cold War was not the cause of the movements, but rather the geopolitical framework that the United States used to justify its repression under the logic of the National Security Doctrine. The research provides a balanced view by contrasting Panamanian and American sources and demonstrates the organizational and discursive continuity between the three milestones, an aspect that historiography has not always recognized.