Omar Torrijos

Omar Torrijos was a Panamanian military officer who ruled Panama from 1968 until his death in 1981. He negotiated the 1977 treaties that scheduled the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama.

Jimmy Carter: The 39th president of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981. Carter negotiated and signed the Panama Canal treaties with Torrijos in 1977.
Torrijos–Carter Treaties: Two 1977 agreements that ended the U.S.-Panama Canal Zone and scheduled the transfer of canal control to Panama. They were Torrijos’s central diplomatic achievement and the framework for the handover.
1968 Panamanian coup d'état: The military coup that overthrew Panamanian president Arnulfo Arias in October 1968. Torrijos emerged as the leading military figure after the coup.
Panama Canal handover: The transfer of control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama, completed on December 31, 1999. It fulfilled the transfer scheduled in the treaties Torrijos negotiated.
Arnulfo Arias: A Panamanian politician who served three brief terms as president and was overthrown in 1968. Torrijos’s coup against Arias brought the military government to power.
Panama Canal Zone: A U.S.-controlled territory surrounding the Panama Canal from 1903 until 1979. Ending this enclave was a core aim of Torrijos’s treaty negotiations.
Panamanian National Guard: Panama’s military and police force before it became the Panama Defense Forces in 1983. Torrijos built his political power through command of the National Guard.
Panama Defense Forces: Panama’s military organization, formed in 1983 from the National Guard and dissolved after the 1989 U.S. invasion. The military institution Torrijos strengthened developed into the force that dominated Panama after his death.
Manuel Noriega: A Panamanian military officer who became the country’s de facto ruler after Torrijos’s death. Noriega succeeded Torrijos as the dominant figure in Panama’s military government.
Panama Canal: An artificial waterway across Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Control of the canal was the central issue in Torrijos’s negotiations with the United States.

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