May I have your attention please you can now book your train tickets on Uber and get

10% back in credits to spend on your next Uber ride so you don't have to walk home in the rain again.

Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply. Check the Uber app. I'm John Bachelors with Professor Ravinelis of the U.S. Army War College, the New World Report.

The Professor recently returned from Panama, and there's trouble in Panama.

It's very difficult to interpret however so I follow the Reuters report in these last hours.

Two people taking part in an anti-government protest in Panama were shot dead by an unknown assailant.

Professor, I credit you with flagging this. I was watching Panama only in terms of

the Darien Gap and center front and it's overwhelming responsibility

to care for the tens of thousands of human beings coming from all over the world through the Darien gap across Panama into Costa Rica and heading towards the southern border.

That is a world of itself, but now we have the government in Panama City either at risk or

stumbling as a presidential contest coming up what is driving this professor is

is this outside forces looking to upset is this this suddenly one of the serene and trusted states in the Americas where everybody

banks their money and including gangsters suddenly it's beginning to

look like what I don't know Peru.

Well John it's an excellent question, and although we certainly do think of Panama is a relatively

prosperous country with relatively good rates of security and relatively good institutions,

although there have long been a lot of corruption in all sectors.

Please, since shortly before COVID-19 and accelerating during the pandemic and afterwards.

You've really seen some of those stresses across Panamanian society.

Again, frustration with delayed public works projects, economic difficulties, corruption.

The government has found itself under a lot of pressure with respect to the loss of revenue

over the Panama Canal as drought has forced it to cut back the number of ships that could go through.

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