The Panama deception

In December 1989, the United States military invaded Panama on the pretext of “restoring democracy” and arresting the President, Manuel Noriega, who had been indicted by the US Supreme Court on drug trafficking charges. This cooly argued and well-researched documentary argues that the invasion of Panama was a cold-blooded exercise, initiated by President George Bush, in which the United States destroyed a country’s infrastructure, and killed over 3,000 people, in order to ensure their dominance in Central American politics and to ensure control of the Panama Canal well into the 21st Century. “The Panama Deception” investigates the links between the United States military, international drug-trafficking and illegal arms dealings. The film also exposes the cynical manipulation of the media by the US Government. The collaboration of the media guaranteed the successful selling of the invasion to the US public. Two years on from the invasion which the United Nations called illegal, refugees still live in tents in Panama; the incidents of mass-murder and incaceration remain uninvestigated and democracy still has not been “restored” by the US but the Americans now have guaranteed military control of the Panama Canal. Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the 1993 Academy Awards. Music by Sting and Jackson Browne. Narrated by Elisabeth Montgomery.