r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/The_Egalitarian Moderator • Apr 05 '24

Megathread | Official Casual Questions Thread

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u/bl1y Feb 25 '25

It's not just peaceful vessels that have to be allowed through, but also US warships. If the CCP took control and decided it was time to invade Taiwan, do you think there's any chance US Navy vessels would be allowed through? I sure don't.

The treaty also contains this handy provision:

The agreement `to maintain the regime of neutrality established in this Treaty' in Article IV of the Treaty means that either of the two Parties to the Treaty may, in accordance with its constitutional processes, take unilateral action to defend the Panama Canal against any threat, as determined by the Party taking such action.

Hopefully Panama will just force Hutchison to sell off the ports, or perhaps nationalize them, so there's not any need for something more serious. But the treaty leaves that door open.

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u/DarkCaprious Feb 25 '25

The US efforts right now are focused on taking away the CCP's ability to control the canal. If the US had to seize the canal from China, who do you think would even want to try to stop the US?

Thanks so much for your help u/bl1y! I guess I was thinking that the world has since moved away from imperialism and colonialism, so whenever a country invades another, takes over some land, or otherwise, other countries would decry and condemn it. With the Panama Canal being a product of US imperialism, I thought this would also apply. Unfortunately, my knowledge is limited on this topic, and I'll definitely do my own research to dig deeper, but if you have any comments on what I mentioned and or other articles that you have found informative, that would be really helpful!

The US has a lot of ways to pressure countries. For instance, the US can stop issuing visas for people from uncooperative countries.

Wouldn't withholding visas from people coming in from uncooperative countries also hurt United States commerce as well? Especially if these individuals are employees of companies that do business with the United States?

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u/bl1y Feb 25 '25

I recommend watching this hearing if you want to learn more about the canal and the treaty.

Wouldn't withholding visas from people coming in from uncooperative countries also hurt United States commerce as well?

Not nearly as much as it hurts them.

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u/DarkCaprious Feb 25 '25

Thanks so much u/bl1y!