PANAMA CITY — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is headed back to Washington as the triumphant bearer of good tidings for President Donald Trump: Panama and the United States will partner to protect the Panama Canal from maligned Chinese interests.
It was both a difficult and delicate task for Hegseth and the Defense officials who accompanied him to bilateral meetings at President José Raúl Mulino’s palace in Panama City. The Panama Canal is a point of national identify for many Panamanians, a senior defense official pointed out on Wednesday evening, and any sense or suspicion of infringement on their sovereignty is considered highly problematic.
The trip began on an energetic but cautiously optimistic note, as Defense Department officials flew down to Panama prepared to engage in serious dialogue but not entirely sure how the week would go. After all, President José Raúl…
