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Kasz216 on 17 February 2009
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Jackson50 said:
Kasz216 said:
akuma587 said:
Panama Canal?


I thought Panama had a good reason to be seperated from Columbia honestly.

They peacefully wanted to leave like the other countries in gran columbia did... however were overthrown by the columbians.

It stayed that way largely due to US support. (Started by Polk.)

Panma getting it's own independence was actually fixing a past american wrong.  Though admittidly for a price.

Whether or not you think Panama had a good reason to be seperated from Colombia is irrelevant. Roosevelt did not have the right to intervene in Colombian affairs. Roosevelt supported the revolutionaries and rushed the ratification of the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty to ensure US hegemony in the region. I am not opposed to Roosevelt being regarded as an exceptional president, but he bullied a small nation for US gain and dominance. That, in my opinion, does not reflect well on his legacy. Kasz, you can still regard TR as the best president while concurrently admitting he made some mistakes...no president is perfect.

We were already intervening in Colombian affairs by helping the colombians keep down the people in Panama in the first place.

Like i said.  I disagree with the price, and why he did it.  But it was the right call... and in the end it benefited both Panma and America.

Had we not intervened in the first place Panma wouldn't of been free.

Ironically the reason we intervened in the first place was protecting transportation routes.  We had transportation rights through Panma and Columbia and were afraid a new Panma government would not what us going through them.