Panama’s president-elect José Raúl Mulino assumes control of a country struggling with challenges that pertain not only to its population but to many other countries as well. Climate change is affecting the Panama canal and there is rising migration through the Darien Gap. Panama is also a theater for the U.S.-China competition. In today’s episode we explore what to expect from Mulino’s term in office regarding these and other issues, such as the copper mine that has been a center of controversy in the past year and what’s next for Ricardo Martinelli, the former president who helped put Mulino in office while simultaneously hiding in the Nicaraguan embassy to escape a conviction for money laundering. Our guest is Mat Youkee, a journalist who has covered Latin America for many years and Panama since 2018.
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Guest:
Mat Youkee is a freelance journalist and researcher based in Panama City
Host:
Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly
If you’d like to know more:
Martinelli’s Shadow Still Dominates Panama Election by Mat Youkee
The Darien Gap’s Fearsome Reputation Has Been Centuries in the Making by Mat Youkee
REACTION: José Raúl Mulino Wins Panama’s Presidency by AQ editors
Panama’s Protests Are About More Than a Mine by Rich Brown
The Predatory Economy Thriving in Panama’s Darién Gap by Will Freeman
