January 2022, Volume 33, Issue 1
The Puzzle of Panamanian Exceptionalism
Despite a turbulent history and rampant corruption, Panama has emerged as one of Latin America’s richest and most stable democracies. How can this be?
Country: Panama
Winter 1990, Volume 1, Issue 1
The Struggle Against Noriega
Over the past several years, the world has come to see the crisis in Panama mainly as a confrontation between the United States and Panama's military strongman, General Manuel Antonio Noriega. But this perception – reinforced lately by press reports on last October's failed coup attempt – is badly mistaken.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Why We Elect Former Dictators and Their Children
Over the last half-century, a surprising share of new democracies have put their former dictators, or the children of those dictators, back in power. What explains the electoral success of these “dictocrats” and “dictobrats”?