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The Times Analysis: Why does Trump want to take back the Panama Canal?

2025-01-22 09:10:53Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The Times Analysis: Why does Trump want to take back the Panama Canal?
Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has not ruled out using the military to regain control of the 51-mile waterway that connects two oceans.

So why is the new US president so interested in this canal that connects the city of Colón , via Gatún Lake, to the Gulf of Panama?

When and why was the canal built?

The canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, allowing commercial shipping to avoid dangerous routes around the tip of South America and shortening sailing time between the east and west coasts of America by several weeks.

A French attempt to connect the two oceans was abandoned in 1889, and in 1904, the United States took over construction of the canal.

Completed in 1913, one of the greatest engineering triumphs of the 20th century, the canal opened to traffic on August 15, 1914, with the American cargo and passenger ship SS Ancon the first ship to pass through.

The cost? In dollars and lives

The project was the most expensive infrastructure project ever undertaken by the United States, costing $375 million. This included $10 million paid to Panama and $40 million paid to the French company that had begun construction.

The canal expansion was completed in 2016, at a cost of $5.25 billion. Half was financed by the Panama Canal Authority and the other half by international banking consortiums.

In his speech, Trump said the US lost 38,000 lives building the canal, which he described as a "foolish gift" to Panama.

Records suggest that in fact 20,000 people died in the aborted construction of the original French canal, mostly from disease. Another 5,609 are recorded as having died working on the American canal. Of these, 4,500 were black workers, mostly Jamaicans and Barbadians. Fewer than 400 were white. The overall death rate of 408 per 1,000 workers makes it one of the deadliest construction projects in modern history.

Why does Trump want him back?

The Panama Canal moves cargo worth about $270 billion a year, about 5 percent of all global maritime trade. Its main user is the United States, followed by China, Japan and South Korea: 70 percent of the cargo that passes through it originates or is destined for the United States.

The US controlled the canal until 1999, when it was transferred to the Panamanian government in an agreement signed by President Carter in 1977. Trump said in his speech that "the intent of our agreement and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated."

The new president also repeated his claim that China is “operating” the canal. Two ports at each end of the canal are owned by a Hong Kong company, but the canal itself and its traffic are managed solely by a Panamanian authority.

Drought conditions last year caused water levels in the canal to drop, making it difficult for large ships to pass through and affecting usage. However, the increase in tolls means that tax revenue is increasing.

The waterway uses a system of locks that function like elevators, bringing ships from sea level on each side to the level of Gatun Lake, 85 meters above sea level, and then returning them to sea level on the other side.

Most traffic through the canal moves between the east coast of the United States and the Far East.

The second busiest trade route is between Europe and the west coast of the US and Canada. Neighboring countries in Central and South America are also heavily dependent on the canal.

The average transit time through the Panama Canal is eight to ten hours.

If the canal were to be closed, ships would have to take a much longer and more dangerous sea route via Cape Horn./ The Times


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