ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study to examine the moral and political legitimacy of the steps that led up to the US invasion of Panama and the moral justness of the invasion itself. The Bush administration gave four reasons for the invasion: “to protect American lives, to support democracy, bring fugitive Manuel Antonio Noriega to justice, and protect the integrity of the Panama Canal Treaties.” The ambassadorship of Japan, one of the most prestigious positions in the Panamanian foreign service, would have given Diaz Herrera increased influence and wealth. At a press conference on Friday, 5 June 1987, Diaz Herrera admitted that he had carried out Noriega’s orders to rig the 1984 Panamanian presidential elections. The unrest in Panama occurred at a politically difficult time for the administration of President Ronald Reagan. In 1970, after he had risen to chief of Panamanian intelligence, Noriega began giving the Central Intelligence Agency information about leaders and leftist movements in Latin America.
