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lets try a what if thats A. historical, and not taken from yesterdays headlines and B. Really could have happened, and made a huge difference.
I just finished reading "A Path between the Seas" by David McCullough.
The Nicaraguan canal had been the preferred route to US policy makers for decades. The railroads preferred Panama, AFAICT because being farther from New Orleans, it was considered less of a threat to trans cont rail traffic, whereas Panama with a shorter crossing would be more oriented towards usage by the navy, and by foreign shippers going to East Asia. Oh, and Bunau-Varrilla (sp?) a French guy with ties to the old De Lesseps attempt, was lobbying pretty hard for the Panama route, and had enlisted Cromwell, of Wall Street law firm Sullivan and Cromwell, to lobby for it. Cromwell was also closely connected to railroad interests.
Lets say, BV and Cromwell are hit by a street car while crossing Broadway in NYC. If thats not enough, lets make the railroads a shade more apathetic - lets give them a labor action to distract them maybe. I suppose I could come up with something that connects these into one POD, but what the hell, this isnt SHWI, you guys wont quibble, so lets just say both happen. And lets make the Southern Dems who were the firmest supporters of a Nicaraguan canal, a little more persuasive.
TR, IIUC, was willing to follow the congress on preferred route, he just wanted to make sure the damn thing got built.
So congress passes it. It should be much easier negotiating a treaty with Nic than with Colombia, Nic isnt so divided politically, access is easier, lots of traditional US influence on a smaller and closer country.
No French company to buy out. No benefit of the French digging, but thats probably offset by an easier route, and a healthier environment (Panama was still fairly unhealthy even after Yellow Fever was tamed - Malaria was still a big killer - its just that most of the deaths were among the black workers, not the white engineers)
But most importantly, the US wont be seen in Latin America has having trod on the sovereignty of a Latin Am nation (which we did by going a tad over the line in supporting the Panamanian rebels at a time when they didnt yet really have de facto independence)
Will this substantially reduce US "badboy" points in Latin America?
Canal probably is just as useful, for the most part.
I just finished reading "A Path between the Seas" by David McCullough.
The Nicaraguan canal had been the preferred route to US policy makers for decades. The railroads preferred Panama, AFAICT because being farther from New Orleans, it was considered less of a threat to trans cont rail traffic, whereas Panama with a shorter crossing would be more oriented towards usage by the navy, and by foreign shippers going to East Asia. Oh, and Bunau-Varrilla (sp?) a French guy with ties to the old De Lesseps attempt, was lobbying pretty hard for the Panama route, and had enlisted Cromwell, of Wall Street law firm Sullivan and Cromwell, to lobby for it. Cromwell was also closely connected to railroad interests.
Lets say, BV and Cromwell are hit by a street car while crossing Broadway in NYC. If thats not enough, lets make the railroads a shade more apathetic - lets give them a labor action to distract them maybe. I suppose I could come up with something that connects these into one POD, but what the hell, this isnt SHWI, you guys wont quibble, so lets just say both happen. And lets make the Southern Dems who were the firmest supporters of a Nicaraguan canal, a little more persuasive.
TR, IIUC, was willing to follow the congress on preferred route, he just wanted to make sure the damn thing got built.
So congress passes it. It should be much easier negotiating a treaty with Nic than with Colombia, Nic isnt so divided politically, access is easier, lots of traditional US influence on a smaller and closer country.
No French company to buy out. No benefit of the French digging, but thats probably offset by an easier route, and a healthier environment (Panama was still fairly unhealthy even after Yellow Fever was tamed - Malaria was still a big killer - its just that most of the deaths were among the black workers, not the white engineers)
But most importantly, the US wont be seen in Latin America has having trod on the sovereignty of a Latin Am nation (which we did by going a tad over the line in supporting the Panamanian rebels at a time when they didnt yet really have de facto independence)
Will this substantially reduce US "badboy" points in Latin America?
Canal probably is just as useful, for the most part.
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