Ricardo Arias Calderón
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Ricardo Arias Calderón (May 4, 1933 – February 13, 2017) was a Panamanian politician who served as First Vice President from 1989 to 1992. A
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
who studied at
Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
and the
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
, Arias returned to
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
in the 1960s to work for political reform. He went on to become the president of the Christian Democratic Party of Panama and a leading opponent of the military government of
Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (; February 11, 1934 â€“ May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. An authoritaria ...
. In 1984, he ran as a candidate for Second Vice President on the ticket of three-time former president
Arnulfo Arias Arnulfo Arias Madrid (15 August 1901 – 10 August 1988) was a Panamanian politician, medical doctor, and writer who served as the President of Panama from 1940 to 1941, again from 1949 to 1951, and finally for 11 days in October 1968. Throu ...
, but they were defeated by pro-Noriega candidate
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...
. Following an annulled 1989 election and the
US invasion of Panama The United States invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause, lasted over a month between mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. It occurred during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ten years after the Torrijos†...
later in the same year, Arias Calderón was sworn in as First Vice President of Panama under President
Guillermo Endara Guillermo David Endara Galimany (May 12, 1936 – September 28, 2009) was a Panamanian politician who served as the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. Raised in a family allied to Panameñista Party founder Arnulfo Arias, Endara attended s ...
. After growing tensions in the ruling coalition, Arias resigned his position on December 17, 1992, stating that the government had not done enough to help Panama's people. He continued to be an active voice in Panamanian politics following his resignation, supporting the
Panama Canal expansion project The Panama Canal expansion project ( es, ampliación del Canal de Panamá), also called the Third Set of Locks Project, doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by adding a new lane of traffic allowing for a larger number of ships, and increasin ...
and opposing the extradition of Noriega.


Background

Arias' maternal family was from Nicaragua, having left during political upheaval there before his birth. One of Arias' great uncles ran for president in Panama, while another was a supporter of the Nicaraguan revolutionary Sandino, a family history that gave Arias an early interest in politics. His father, an engineer, died when Arias was two years old, and he was raised primarily by his mother, aunt, and grandmother. His mother later remarried to a Panamanian ambassador to the United States. Arias studied at
Culver Military Academy Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...
in
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in the US. He later majored in English literature at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
and philosophy at
Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; french: Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV) was a public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universit ...
. A
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, Arias was heavily influenced by Catholic French philosopher and ethicist
Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 â€“ 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aquinas fo ...
. Aesthetic, publicly stiff, and accused of aloofness, Arias would later be nicknamed "Arias Cardinal Calderón" during his political career.


Early political career

Arias returned to Panama in the early 1960s to work for political reform, soon joining the small Christian Democratic Party of Panama. In 1972, he left Panama for some time with his family, becoming a dean and later vice president at
Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...
in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in the US. In 1980, however, he declined an offer to become provost, and instead returned to Panamanian politics. During the rule of military leader
Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (; February 11, 1934 â€“ May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. An authoritaria ...
, Arias was an opposition leader as the president of the Christian Democratic Party of Panama, a member party of the Civic Democratic Opposition Alliance (ADOC). He ran on the ticket of three-time former president
Arnulfo Arias Arnulfo Arias Madrid (15 August 1901 – 10 August 1988) was a Panamanian politician, medical doctor, and writer who served as the President of Panama from 1940 to 1941, again from 1949 to 1951, and finally for 11 days in October 1968. Throu ...
(no relation) in the 1984 election as the National Alliance of Opposition's candidate for Second Vice President. Arnulfo Arias was narrowly defeated by Noriega ally
Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino (born 21 August 1938) is a Panamanian politician, served as its President from 11 October 1984 to 28 September 1985, running as the candidate of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) in the contested elect ...
, and the opposition stated that the election had been fraudulent. In February 1988, plainclothes police officers forced Arias Calderón and his wife onto a plane to
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
at gunpoint, and the couple spent a month in exile in Miami. Arias returned to Panama in March, calling openly for Noriega's ouster on arrival at the
Omar Torrijos International Airport Tocumen International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) is the primary international airport serving Panama City, the capital of Panama. The airport serves as the homebase for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from The ...
. In Panama's May 1989 elections, Arias stood as a candidate for First Vice President with the ADOC, with
Guillermo Endara Guillermo David Endara Galimany (May 12, 1936 – September 28, 2009) was a Panamanian politician who served as the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. Raised in a family allied to Panameñista Party founder Arnulfo Arias, Endara attended s ...
as the presidential candidate and
Guillermo Ford Guillermo "Billy" Ford Boyd (November 11, 1936 – March 19, 2011) was the Second Vice President of Panama. He was one of the running mates of presidential candidate Guillermo Endara during the 1989 Panamanian election campaign. The election ...
as the candidate for Second Vice President. However, Noriega's government annulled the election before voting was complete. Days after the completion of voting, Endara, Arias, and Ford were attacked on camera by Noriega supporters while security forces observed and refused to intervene. In October of that year, Arias was briefly arrested for urging citizens not to pay taxes to his government.


Vice presidency

Following Noriega's fall in the December 1989
United States invasion of Panama The United States invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause, lasted over a month between mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. It occurred during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ten years after the Torrijos– ...
, Arias was certified as vice president of Panama under President Endara and inaugurated on a US military base. Arias was put in charge of reforming the Panamanian police forces, putting them under civilian control. He controversially employed former members of Noriega's
Panamanian Defense Forces The Panamanian Public Forces ( es, Fuerza Pública de la República de Panamá) are the national security forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America (the other being Costa Rica) to permanently abolish standing armies, with Pa ...
, stating that he trusted them with his own security and that it was "time to look to the future". His defense of former PDF soldiers split supporters of the coalition government, and in May 1990, sparked rumors that he and the CDP were attempting a coup while Endara was out of the country. The presidential offices were occupied by Endara loyalists with submachineguns, who accidentally shot and killed one of Endara's staff members. In early 1991, the ADOC coalition began to unravel as Endara, Arias, and Ford publicly criticized one another. On April 8, accusing Arias' Christian Democrats of not rallying to his support during an impeachment vote, Endara dismissed Arias from the cabinet. Arias resigned from the vice presidency on December 17, 1992, stating at a news conference that Endara's government "does not listen to the people, nor does it have the courage to make changes". Endara responded that Arias' resignation was "demagoguery" and "merely starting his 1994 political campaign ahead of time".


Later activity

Arias was an opponent of the post-invasion US presence in Panama before the December 31, 1999 handover of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
to the
Panama Canal Authority The Panama Canal Authority ( es, Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP)) is the agency of the government of Panama responsible for the operation and management of the Panama Canal. The ACP took over the administration of the canal from the Panama ...
. Arias was criticized in 1998 by Endara's successor,
Ernesto Pérez Balladares Ernesto Pérez Balladares González-Revilla (born June 29, 1946), nicknamed ''El Toro'' ("The Bull"), is a Panamanian politician who was the President of Panama between 1994 and 1999. Educated in the United States, Pérez Balladares worked as ...
, as "immoral" for having claimed almost $100,000 in salary from his time as vice president despite having resigned. Arias subsequently challenged Pérez Balladares to a debate over the morality of the latter's plans to amend the constitution and seek a second term. In 2001, Arias released a book, ''Democracy without an Army: The Panamanian Experience'', arguing that the nation must keep its security forces depoliticized. That same year, he allied with
Democratic Revolutionary Party The Democratic Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Democrático, PRD) is a political party in Panama founded in 1979 by General Omar Torrijos. It is generally described as being positioned on the centre-left. History Since its creat ...
, the former party of Noriega. He later pressed criminal defamation charges against ''
La Prensa ''La Prensa'' ("The Press") is a frequently used name for newspapers in the Spanish-speaking world. It may refer to: Argentina * ''La Prensa'' (Buenos Aires) * , a current publication of Caleta Olivia, Santa Cruz Bolivia * ''La Prensa'' (La Paz ...
'' cartoonist Julio Briceño for a cartoon of Arias standing besides the
Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...
, representing the new alliance. Arias additionally asked for a million dollars in damages, stating "That cartoon made me an accomplice of a crime ... That was a defamation I could not accept or tolerate. I was the one who denounced those crimes at the time of the dictatorship." In 2006, he supported a project to widen the canal, calling it "historical suicide" not to do so. Arias opposed the 2011 extradition of Noriega from France to Panama, warning that the former dictator could institute a "demagogic populism" similar to that of Venezuela's
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 â€“ 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
.


Personal life

Arias had a Cuban-born wife, Teresita, whom he married in 1964 and with whom he had four children. In the 1960s, she broke new ground for political spouses by attending political rallies and campaigning actively for her husband. Because Endara was a widower, she also acted as Panama's First Lady until Endara remarried to Ana Mae Diaz Chen in 1990.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arias Calderon, Ricardo 1933 births 2017 deaths Panamanian Roman Catholics University of Paris alumni Vice presidents of Panama Yale College alumni Place of birth missing Panamanian expatriates in the United States Panamanian expatriates in France Culver Academies alumni