Panama and the Canal: Strategic Control in a Contested Hemisphere

This episode examines renewed tensions surrounding the Panama Canal as a lens into enduring questions of strategic control, sovereignty, and great-power influence. Rather than treating the canal as a discrete flashpoint, the analysis situates it within a longer history of U.S. presence, regional memory, and the evolving balance between security narratives and economic interests. The episode considers how rhetoric, diplomatic posture, and geopolitical signaling converge around infrastructure that remains central to hemispheric power.