Johanna Mendelson Forman’s column marking 100 years of the Panama Canal published in VOXXI

One hundred years after the opening of the Panama Canal, the waterway is again the subject of a new controversy as Chinese investors seek to create an alternate path between the seas through Nicaragua.

Ironically, the original 1897 plans to construct this path between the seas were slated to go through Nicaragua, the preferred route.

But a last minute lobbying effort by those advocating the Panama route held sway in the United States Congress. Just before the vote a picture of a Nicaraguan postage stamp showing a volcano erupting persuaded members of Congress to opt for what they thought was a more stable route through Panama.

To read the full column, click here

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