In the Panama City neighbourhood of El Chorrillo, a neglected monument to the hundreds of Panamanians who perished during the 1989 US invasion offers a chilling reminder of what can happen if the Central American country falls foul of Washington.
With US President Donald Trump this week threatening to “take back” the Panama Canal, residents who survived the battles 35 years ago are angry that they are once again at the whim of their country’s main ally.
“Trump should respect the Panamanian flag, just as we respect that of the United States,” said Isaias Blades, a street vendor who as a child sheltered from US military helicopters. “In 1989 we had to walk beneath gunfire, as tanks rolled around us . . . once again the US wants to dominate Latin America.”