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Operation Just Cause, also known as the Invasion of Panama, was the American invasion of Panama which occurred from December 1989 to January 1990 with the objective of removing the Panamanian military leader and drug trafficker Manuel Noriega from power. Like the 1983 Invasion of Grenada, the operation was both successful in restoring democracy to a military-ruled country and was condemned by the United Nations General Assembly.

Noriega had been the military leader of Panama since 1983, and he was previously an important American asset during the CIA's covert operations in embattled Central America in the 1980s. However, his involvement in the trafficking of drugs from South America to North America was exposed by The New York Times in 1986, and Noriega was also implicated in the Iran-Contra affair, leading to a deterioration in US-Panamanian relations. President Ronald Reagan refused to authorize an invasion of Panama while his Vice President, George H.W. Bush, was running for President in 1988, as Bush - as the former CIA Director - had been responsible for Noriega's rise to power in the first place. However, after Noriega began to turn to the Soviet Union, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Libya for military aid, the Pentagon made preparations for an invasion of Panama to remove Noriega from power. In March 1988 and October 1989, Noriega put down coup attempts, and, during the 1989 Panamanian presidential election, Noriega had his opponent Guillermo Endara physically assaulted. After the 16 December 1989 fatal shooting of a US Marine Corps first lieutenant by the Panamanian Defense Forces, a day after the Panamanian general assembly declared war on the United States, President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to commence on 20 December, aiming to protect the 35,000 Americans living in Panama, restore democracy in Panama, combat drug trafficking, and protect the neutrality of the Panama Canal.

At 1:00 AM on 20 December 1989, 27,684 US troops and over 300 aircraft attacked strategic installations such as the Punta Paitilla Airport in Panama City and the PDF garrison and airfield at Rio Hato. When the Americans advanced into Panama City, they faced opposition from the nationalist Dignity Battalions (the "Dingbats"), securing the El Chorrillos neighborhood after fierce resistance. From 20 to 23 December 1989, the United States launched Operation Nifty Package to capture Noriega, besieging him in the Vatican's diplomatic quarter and blasting deafening AC/DC music until Noriega was convinced to exit and surrender himself on 3 January 1990. The invasion was quickly over, and the PDF was dissolved and Guillermo Endara was sworn into office as President. Between 202 and 500 civilians and one Spanish journalist were among the civilian casualties of the brief conflict.

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