US invades Panama; General Noriega overthrown

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)
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On 17 December 1989 United States President George H.W. Bush ordered American troops to invade Panama with the express purpose of overthrowing and apprehending Manuel Noriega. The other aim of the military action was to liberate Panamanians and protect American lives and property. The initial attack subsequently took place on 20 December. American forces overwhelmed Panamanian forces rather quickly; however, reinforcements were flown into Panama after widespread looting. During the military action, over 200 Panamanian soldiers died and over 20 Americans were killed. Manuel Noriega, the former President, surrendered to U.S. authorities on 3 January 1990. Thereafter, Noriega stood trial in Miami. He was convicted and was sent to prison. <…

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Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "US invades Panama; General Noriega overthrown". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=3892, accessed 26 November 2024.]

3892 US invades Panama; General Noriega overthrown 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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