Panama Canal transfer is topic of Croft Institute symposium

Mariana Eberle
DM Staff writer

The Croft Institute for International Studies is hosting a symposium titled: "The Panama Canal Transfer: Controversy at the Crossroads," Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Union Ballroom in conjunction with the Latin America faculty.

Panelists will discuss scenarios and issues involved with the upcoming transfer of the Panama Canal from United States control to the Government of Panama on Dec. 31, 1999.

"When the treaty (Carter/Torrijos) was signed in 1977, it was a major deal for Central America and the United States," said Holly Reynolds, assistant professor in the department of political science at Ole Miss.

"Today, in the year when the transition is taking place, the only issue that we hear in the U.S. popular press is the possible Chinese influence on the canal, but there other important issues that are involved here that we as a nation should think about again."

According to Reynolds, some of the key issues to be discussed will address the impact of the canal transfer on Panama, including the magnitude of the loss in economic revenues and jobs in the Panamanian economy when the Americans leave; how the absence of U.S. presence will affect the new government (and politics in general) in Panama; and whether the United States will leave behind environmental damage, how this will be resolved and who will be responsible for the costs associated with the cleanup.

Other key issues to be discussed will include the impact of the canal transfer on U.S. foreign relations. What will be the changes in the special relationship between Panama and the United States? Is there justified concern over another foreign power (Japan, China) assuming a strong influence over the canal and its operations? Does the United States desire a new base of operations for extending military power into Central and South America, especially with the United States recommitted to involvement in Colombia?

The five experts for Thursday's discussion will include Ambassador David Passage, who has been a career foreign service officer for several Central and South America countries and even helped to draft the canal treaty. Berta Ramona Thayer, a Panamanian journalist and legal advisor who currently freelances reports for "The Washington Post" and "The Miami Herald."

Discussing the U.S. Army's perspective will be retired U.S. Army Col. Kenneth N. Haynes. He is the Director of the Latin American seminar in the regional studies department of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

The other panelists will be Margaret E. Scranton, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, who specializes in Panama and U.S. foreign issues and Mark Falcoff, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, who recently published the book "Panama's Canal: What Happens When the United States Gives a Small Country What It Wants." According to "Foreign Affairs," Falcoff is the most formidable conservative commentator on Latin America in the United States.

"We have different kinds of expertise coming together in one forum to address these issues," Reynolds said. "The panelists will bring different perspectives on a set of important questions surrounding the Panama Canal transference."

In addition to Thursday's symposium, the Croft Institute is sponsoring a university wide presentation by Passage at the Yerby Center Auditorium at noon titled: "The Importance of Relationships in the New World Disorder," which involves U.S. foreign policy in the postcold war and is not limited to Latin American policy issues.

The Croft Institute will also host numerous informal gatherings between students and the panelists. For more information call the Croft Institute at 915-1500.