IL Postcard

Panama: The Next Nation to Sit on the UN Security Council

Date: 11/01/2006

Panama has just received some big news….very big news. This tiny Central American nation may be the next to sit on the UN Security Council. The council seat has been occupied by Argentina for the past two years, and a decision had to be made as to which Latin American/Caribbean country would step up to take the Andean country's place.

Guatemala and Venezuela have been at loggerheads over the seat for weeks now. The race saw Venezuela reviling Guatemala for being a "U.S. lackey," while Guatemala and its supporters (most notably the U.S.) were concerned Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez would use the seat to harass the U.S., rather than to work for peace and justice.

The two competitors curried support with other member nations but, after 47 rounds of voting, neither had the required amount of votes to win (though Guatemala was nearly always in the lead). As everyone tired of the stalemate, Venezuela and Guatemala were encouraged to withdraw and support candidacy for a different Latin American or Caribbean nation. At first, Guatemala and Venezuela refused to back down-Guatemala citing frustration at being so close to winning and Venezuela avowing it would never allow the U.S. to have its way.

After a November 1 meeting in New York, though, both Guatemala and Venezuela agreed to back Panama. Guatemala's representative explained that Panama was deemed an appropriate compromise because of its geographical position-i.e., Panama is part of Central America but borders South America, and thus has a unique identity that is thought to balance the two regions.

The seat for which Panama has been nominated is a two-year temporary seat on the 15-member UN Security Council. Though each nation on the council has a vote, it is the five permanent members that hold veto power.

Best Regards,

Brandon Clogston
International Living / Panama

P.S. See? We told you exciting things were bound to happen for Panama…talk about an up and coming nation. Now's the time to visit, before too many more get wind of just how great Panama is. And a great opportunity is headed your way: International Living's Live & Prosper in Panama Seminar, slated for January 30 to February 1, 2007. Interested? Contact Events@InternationalLiving.com so our events team can offer you some great early bird savings.

*Source: Panamanian newspaper La Prensa, November 2, 2006.