Book contents
- The Link That Divides
- Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations
- The Link That Divides
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Acknowledgments
- Additional material
- Introduction
- Part I
- Part II
- Part III
- 7 The Road to Arbitration
- 8 Canal Dreams and the Fate of the Mosquito Reserve
- 9 Conclusion
- Index
9 - Conclusion
The Turn towards Panama
from Part III
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 February 2026
Book contents
- The Link That Divides
- Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations
- The Link That Divides
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Acknowledgments
- Additional material
- Introduction
- Part I
- Part II
- Part III
- 7 The Road to Arbitration
- 8 Canal Dreams and the Fate of the Mosquito Reserve
- 9 Conclusion
- Index
Summary
This chapter focuses on the decisive moment that led to the creation of the Panama Canal and the waning of Nicaragua as the site of a potential transisthmian canal. The apparent abruptness of the decision to build the canal in Panama in 1902 belied the steady buildup of a new American way of looking at the world – emerging in the context of the Spanish–American War – that was heavily informed by the American press. The final turn towards Panama profoundly altered the course of Nicaraguan history and effectively stymied dreams of regional unity.
Keywords
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- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Link That DividesRace, Empire, and the Quest for the Nicaragua Canal in the Nineteenth Century, pp. 255 - 270Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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