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TEST TUBE REPUBLIC: Chemical Weapons Tests in Panama and U.S. Responsibility

I. Introduction

        In early 1998, the United States went to the brink of war with Iraq over the latter country's refusal to comply with United Nations resolutions regarding inspections for chemical weapons facilities on Iraqi soil. The United States accused the Iraqi government of deception and violation of international law in its handling of the inspections issue.

        Chemical weapons represent a serious threat to the world community's safety and well-being. A single bomb filled with VX nerve agent, of the kind Iraq has been accused of maintaining, has enough lethal doses to kill millions of people, though it is only four or five feet long.

        For this reason the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty which entered into force on April 29, 1997, is a major advance in turning back the threat of chemical weapons. The Convention requires the destruction of all chemical weapons, both stockpiled and abandoned munitions, within ten to fifteen years.

        In the small isthmian nation of Panama, the United States had an active chemical weapons program from at least 1930 until 1968. From 1930 to 1946, this program focused on canal defense. From 1943 until 1968, the program aimed to test chemical munitions under tropical conditions. Dozens of tons of mustard gas and phosgene were stockpiled at a number of sites in Panama, particularly from the 1930s to the 1950s. Unused and dud chemical munitions were also abandoned in Panama.

        Today, Panama is undergoing major transitions. Like many other countries, it is experiencing rapid urban growth, focused on the canal area, where half of Panama's entire population now lives and works. The growth is accompanied by major road projects to address traffic congestion. While many lands in the canal area are being settled or developed, other projects are attempting to reforest lands that have been denuded by timber interests and slash-and-burn agriculture.

        The turnover of properties pursuant to the 1977 Panama Canal Treaties is accelerating these transitions. Lands on military bases to which most Panamanians have never had formal access will come under Panamanian jurisdiction by December 31, 1999. Without a national military or the United States' geostrategic interests, the lands will be transformed to fit Panama's emerging identity.

        In these circumstances, it is critical that Panamanians gain an understanding of the legacy which they are receiving. It is also crucial that the United States cooperate to ensure that the transition does not leave behind dangers to human and environmental health and safety, and that it transfer documents on the histories of lands being turned over to Panama. The CWC and the 1977 Panama Canal treaties comprise the main treaty obligations relevant to chemical weapons in Panama.

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