TIME: Almanac 1990/1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso/time/052989/05298900.026

Text File | 1990-09-22 | 4KB | 68 lines

WORLD, Page 61

America Abroad

The Dukakis Approach

By Strobe Talbott


    The debacle in Panama is a reminder that the U.S., to its
everlasting credit but also to its occasional grief, was never cut
out for imperialism. Even the vestige of such an adventure at the
beginning of the 20th century is enough to complicate American
domestic politics and foreign policy alike at the end of the
century. Teddy Roosevelt not only dug the big ditch but helped
carve out the little nation around it by supporting secessionists
in a malaria-ridden province of Colombia. But no good deed in the
pursuit of empire goes unpunished. The legacy that T.R. left his
successors has turned increasingly from a strategic and commercial
boon to a political curse. The spectacle of Panamanians tearing
down U.S. flags marred the last days of Dwight Eisenhower's term
and the first of Lyndon Johnson's.

    Jimmy Carter wisely signed a treaty that provides for
Panamanian sovereignty over the canal in 1999. He went a long way
toward defusing the anti-Americanism that has been an obstacle to
U.S. policy in Latin America. But he paid a heavy price at home.
The "giveaway" increased Carter's vulnerability on the right and
softened him up for his eventual defeat in 1980. Last year's
feckless attempt to oust Manuel Antonio Noriega turned into one of
the fiascoes of the Reagan Administration.

    Now it is George Bush's turn. So far, he has made the best of
a bad situation. After Noriega stole the Panamanian election, Bush
consulted regional leaders and downplayed the threat of military
intervention. The result has been the isolation of Noriega and the
reassurance of other Latin Americans about U.S. methods and
intentions. Last week the Organization of American States passed
a resolution holding Noriega responsible for "abuses" and called
on him to surrender power.

    But precisely those features of his Panama policy that have
served Bush well make a mockery of a prominent theme in his
presidential campaign. As a candidate, Bush lambasted Michael
Dukakis for advocating the sort of military restraint and
multilateral diplomacy on which Bush has relied as President.

    In a speech to the American Legion on Sept. 7, Bush quoted
Teddy Roosevelt on how "sentimentality" is out of place when vital
national interests are at stake. He cited the 1983 invasion of
Grenada and the 1986 bombing raid on Libya as models of the way the
U.S. should protect itself against enemies who are doing Moscow's
dirty work. At numerous rallies Bush suggested that Dukakis would
be like Carter, whom he accused of having presided over "America's
retreat in this hemisphere and around the world" -- an echo of the
canal sellout charge.

    Yet when Bush found himself in his first foreign policy crisis,
the threat had nothing to do with the Soviet Union or its minions.
The Monroe Doctrine, which proclaims the U.S.'s determination to
keep the real imperialists from Europe out of the Western
hemisphere, is irrelevant. Noriega is Uncle Sam's creature as well
as his nemesis. Some Administration officials made a brief, silly
attempt last week to blame the Kremlin for exploiting the trouble.
Their only evidence: TASS, standing the story on its head, reported
out of Panama that Noriega's opponents had cheated at the polls and
fomented violence. Hardly anyone would have noticed the ludicrous
dispatch if the Administration hadn't publicized it.

    As a final ironic twist, one of the President's most effective
allies in the whole affair has been Jimmy Carter, and now it is the
Noriega regime that evokes Teddy Roosevelt's memory to stir up
fears that the Yanquis are coming. The Panamanian curse has yet to
be lifted, both from the U.S. and from Panama itself.