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"Judging from the title of this valuable little book, Panama's history seems rich in at least one thing: irony. Mark Falcoff of the American Enterprise Institute, a longtime expert on Latin America, reminds us that Panama, that tiny isthmian nation at the waist of the Americas, will soon inherit the American-built canal. . . . His book serves as the best introduction that I know to Panama, its peculiar psychology and sociology, and how it has been both helped and warped by its experience of dependency."

--Roger Fontaine, Washington Times

Panama's Canal focuses on Panama mismanagement of the properties it received from the United States and its cavalier disregard of some environmental considerations crucial to the efficient operation of the canal. The author argues that there is no turning back; the Carter-Torrijos treaties have become Panama's destiny--and our own as well. The book concludes that it would be better to consider alternative transoceanic routes seriously and allow Panamanians to find their own way.

Mark Falcoff is a resident scholar at AEI.