The U.S. Whitewashes Panama’s Fatal Flaws to Champion FTA

The U.S. Whitewashes Panama’s Fatal Flaws to Champion FTA
Friday, 26 August 2011, 12:38 pm
Article: Council on Hemispheric Affairs

The U.S. Whitewashes Panama’s Fatal Flaws to Champion Their Free Trade Agreement
Carrie Burggraf
August 25, 2011

• Panama’s notoriously corrupt judiciary and political backdoor dealings make the U.S.-Panama FTA a most problematic transaction.

• This FTA is yet another example of catering to big business interests abroad; indeed, it creates few benefits for the average U.S. citizen while generating possibly detrimental effects in Panama.

• Several WikiLeaks cables have portrayed President Martinelli and other Panamanian government officials in a self-defaming light, as the government continues to be buffeted by daily scandals.

• Panamanian authorities seem to be totally unperturbed, but Washington continues to portray an exceedingly venal society as a virtuous trading partner.

More:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1108/S00550/the-us-whitewashes-panamas-fatal-flaws-to-champion-fta.htm