Omar Torrijos

[Davie zepeda]

Who was Omar Torrijos ?

Would you call him a revolutionary or a dictator?

I really don't know this guy i wanted to see if you guy's do i mean when i read up on him he sounded like a anticommunist fuck what's your view on him.

[Red_or_Dead]

Well, apparently he was a leftist, but an anti-communist nonetheless.

He wasnt elected, wasnt even a president, but apparently was the de facto leader of Panama... which to me sounds like a weird military junta, where civilian authority did exist, but was completetly under the control of military.

Being an anti-communist, it sure as hell isnt surprising that he was backed up by the US.

He did negotiate the treaties on the Panama canal, though, which resulted in Panames gaining control of it from the US, so thats one good thing hes done.

But appart from that, my immpression is that he was a one fucked up dude. Not someone I would support.

[Magdalen]

Torrijos did bring important social and economic reforms to Panama, and was definitely not just another US puppet.

Despite his miliatary background, he was a very determined man who had a profound awareness of social justice and patriotism, a man who was unafraid to threaten the US with military action over the Panama Canal. He also fought to bring Cuba out of the regional isolation that it had endured since the early 1960s, becoming a close contact of Fidel Castro in the process.

Although Torrijos was no communist, he was one of the few Latin American leaders during that period who would not bow to every wish of the US imperialists.

During his trial in Miami, Manuel Noriega stated that he had documents in his possession which showed that the US had a role in the assassination of Torrijos. However, these documents were never released, as the judge ruled that they violated the Classified Information Prodecures Act.

[bayano]

as the resident panamanian on the boards, im happy to weigh in.

to outward appearances, he was quit a Nasser. strong willed and courageous against North American/European domination, and allying somewhat with some other enemies of Western imperialism, he nevertheless brutally repressed the left and right oppositions.

but in my search for answers, Torrijos gets explained every which way, by leftists on many different sides. some important information of note.

The October 11 coup is of particular interest. firstly, it was the third time fascist Arnulfo Arias was swept from power. he was a real fascist. he was into jim crow style segregation, idolized hitler and mussolini, and at one point dressed his militants in kkk-style hoods. but in the first few hours of the coup, some three hundred leftists were imprisoned in a nationwide sweep, many for a year or more, many tortured, and a few killed. people i have spoken with tell me that he wasn't necessarily in on the coup, and didnt really come to power for a year after.

during his reign, a relatively small (compared to almost any other dictatorships of the time) number of leftists and others (Hector Gallego, Jorge Camacho, Floyd Britton) were disappeared or killed.

his regime was not socialist, and the elements of social democracy put into place were weak or fraudulent. his regime fought for greater autonomy from US pseudo-colonialism, but only as one leg of decades (actually more than 100 years) of anti-US struggle. besides, that same anti-US rhetoric was used by the fascist Arnulfistas, so it was not necessarily indicative of any leftist politics.

he was a military dictator, though a relatively popular and complicated one. but he was no revolutionary