In the 1970s, a conservative coalition came together to fight ceding control of the Panama Canal—proving the political potency of the issue.

The US is the biggest user of the Canal, but influence on its operations is dispersed among contracts with bidders internationally.

Trump’s canal canard obscures a truth: Panama just wants to run its shipping passage without interference from China or the U.S. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has in recent days repeatedly denounced what he sees as China’s outsized influence on the Panama Canal – the crucial maritime passageway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Treaties ratified by the Senate in 1978 established permanent neutrality, but some Republicans regret that decision.

Over decades, a shift in US military strategy, larger carriers and the growth of commerce on the West Coast deemphasized US involvement.

Few took the president-elect’s combative comments at face value, but they still sent a shudder through a country that the United States has invaded before.

In the 1970s, a conservative coalition came together to fight ceding control of the Panama Canal—proving the political potency of the issue.