Panama’s diplomatic support to Argentina concerning the Malvinas sovereignty dispute during the Torrijos era (1969-1983)

An analysis from the autonomy viewpoint

Abstract

The aim of this article is to scrutinize the position of the Republic of Panama regarding the Malvinas sovereignty dispute during the Torrijos era (1969-1983) from the autonomy framework. After briefly describing the regime’s foreign policy, we analyze the signing of the 1974 Perón-Torrijos declaration—the interests that aroused it, and the rationale behind it. We emphasize, thereupon, the actions of Panamanian diplomacy vis-à-vis the 1982 armed conflict, especially considering that Panama was the only Latin American country to occupy a seat on the UN Security Council at the time. As a conclusion, we assert that Panama’s diplomatic support to Argentina concerning the Malvinas sovereignty dispute has been a manifestation of its autonomist vocation during the studied period.