According to AFP news agency, and confirmed by the US Southern Command, Washington started on August 18th a series of “military exercises” in the area recently returned to Panama´s sovereignty. The participants in these exercises include 15 Latin American countries, and Canada and the US.

According to the local media, Ricardo Martinelli´s administration didn´t inform the Parliament in due time and manner about these maneuvers, in which naval officials form other countries of the region are participating, among them, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Even the armed forces of Ecuador, Nicaragua and El Salvador are involved.

According to official spokespeople, these exercises aim at the “coordination of responses against a potential threat to the Panama Canal or against natural disasters”.

The US Second Fleet, a military division considered a mobile force ready to intervene in internal conflicts in Latin America, legendarily referred to by Washington as “America´s backyard”, is in the lead of these activities.

But these “conflict hypotheses” have an agenda. A month ago, for instance, Panama´s government accused construction workers employed in the activities to extend the Canal of being “terrorists”, since they were protesting against low salaries.

PANAMAX 10 is the name given to these exercises, which according to official sources seek to “enhance the participating nation´s ground, naval, air and special forces abilities”. And they add that more than 2,000 civilian and military personnel are participating in the exercises in Colombian, Honduran and Panamanian territory.

The exercises are based on the following simulated scenario: “a terrorist organization, made up mainly by peasants who seek to control governments to destabilize countries and the global economy”, attacks the Panama Canal, and in response to a request from Panama, the United Nations Security Council instructs the United States to lead a multinational force to protect the Canal, through which 5 per cent of the global trade circulates. Venezuela, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba and Haiti are the only Latin American countries that are not participating in these military exercises.

The drills will be watched by 42 representatives from 13 countries from the barracks of the Second Fleet in Norfolk, Virgina, US.

In 2008, during similar exercises, a Panamanian police officer was killed, in an event which was considered an “oversight” by the authorities.

The US has been carrying out these military drills from 1950, in the framework of the preparations to confront the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Then, in the 1970s and 1980s, their aim was to provide support to military dictatorships of the region. Nowadays, the US government doesn´t provide any reasons why they keep financing and organizing military exercises.

It seems that the “conflict hypotheses” change as times change.

However, US military “movements” in Latin America seem to be going against Parliaments: last week, the Colombian Constitutional Court rejected the agreement by which the country opened way to seven military bases.

The court considered that the military pact was an international agreement, and thus it should have been approved by the Legislative Branch.

This has to be added to the US military occupation in Haiti, with the excuse of collaborating with the rebuilding of the country after the earthquake that took place in January.

Meanwhile, another less imaginative although equally meaningful exercise was started a few days ago in Costa Rica. Aircraft carrier LHD-7 “Iwo Jima” docked on Friday in Limon Port, one of Costa Rica´s poorest areas.

According to AFP, approximately 100 US marines will build and repair schools and medical centers in Costa Rican cities and villages, and will play a baseball match with a team of the region, where Costa Rican black population is concentrated.

But the Iwo Jima was involved in 2003 in much less “humanitarian” missions in the Iraq war. Today, it is part of the US mission “Continuing Promise 2010”, led by commodore Thomas Negus, and which includes Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Surinam.

In response to the protests raised by the presence of the ship, US Ambassador to Costa Rica said that the only “invasion” will be of “humanitarian workers (…) to bring help and development to Limon Province”.

Meanwhile, Limon´s Mayor, Eduardo Barboza, welcomed the mission and said “you make us feel very important” (sic).

Photo: noticias.com.gt