The Last Time the U.S. Invaded Panama, It Used an Unexpected Strategy: Guns N’ Roses as Psychological Warfare

Panama was relatively calm by the end of 2024. But as 2025 began, the geopolitical landscape shifted unexpectedly. While the country insists that its canal remains neutral territory, statements from President Donald Trump and strategic maneuvers by China have once again put the region in the global spotlight. Whether it remains rhetoric or escalates further, it’s worth recalling a similar historical moment—one where music played an unusual role in U.S. military tactics.

Panama invasion: bombs and rock. In December 1989, the U.S. launched Operation Just Cause, a large-scale military invasion of Panama aimed at overthrowing dictator Manuel Noriega.

In an overwhelming display of force, the U.S. deployed 26,000 troops, bombed parts of Panama City, and ultimately subdued Noriega using an unprecedented tactic of psychological warfare: deafening rock music.

The American ally turned enemy. During the Cold War, Noriega had been a key U.S. ally, serving as a CIA informant on drug trafficking and regional affairs. Despite his ties to organized crime, Washington tolerated him for years due to his strategic value in countering communist influence in Latin America.

By the late 1980s, however, his growing autonomy and potential alignment with the Soviet Union alarmed U.S. officials. While Noriega was accused of drug trafficking and electoral fraud, the killing of a U.S. soldier by the Panamanian Defense Forces provided the perfect pretext for military intervention. Despite opposition from agencies like the CIA and DEA—who still saw Noriega as a valuable intelligence asset— former President George H.W. Bush decided it was time to act.

Operation Just Cause. The invasion was a disproportionate display of military power. Panama’s defense consisted of just 3,000 lightly armed troops, while the U.S. deployed stealth aircraft, helicopter gunships, and thousands of Marines and Army forces. Entire sectors of Panama City were devastated, leaving hundreds dead and bodies scattered across the streets.

Historians argue that the Vietnam syndrome—a doctrine advocating overwhelming force to prevent prolonged conflicts—shaped the brutality of the invasion. To eliminate any chance of Noriega fleeing, U.S. forces destroyed his yacht and private jet.

Then came the decibels. After the invasion, Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City. Under international law, U.S. troops couldn’t storm the building to capture him. Instead, they employed psychological warfare—using music as a weapon.

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The U.S. Southern Command Network installed loudspeakers on military vehicles and blasted deafening rock music at the embassy. The playlist was carefully chosen for its ironic messages, featuring: “I Fought the Law” (The Clash), “Panama” (Van Halen), “All I Want Is You” (U2), “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” (Bruce Cockburn), “Welcome to the Jungle” (Guns N’ Roses), and various songs from The Doors.

The sound was so relentless that the Vatican formally protested, forcing U.S. forces to stop the music after three days. By then, Noriega—an opera lover—was under extreme psychological pressure. On Jan. 3, 1990, he surrendered.

Torture or tactic? The U.S. military has consistently defended the use of music as an interrogation tool, arguing that, like sleep deprivation, it is a non-lethal technique that leaves no permanent physical effects. However, former detainees tell a different story.

Binyam Mohamed, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, told the BBC that he endured 20 days of blaring music, including Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and Dr. Dre’s “Forgot About Dre.” The relentless noise, he said, drove several detainees to the brink of insanity.

Another prisoner, Haj Ali, recalled being subjected to the endless repetition of the phrase Babylon... Babylon... Babylon... from David Gray’s song until he felt his head would explode.

Organizations such as Amnesty International consider musical torture a form of inhuman and degrading treatment, which is prohibited by the UN and the European Court of Human Rights. According to expert Sara MacNeice, this technique has nothing to do with music in its traditional sense—rather, it is a sonic assault designed to intimidate and psychologically break the victim.

Consequences and legacy. While Operation Just Cause was a strategic success for the U.S., it was widely condemned by the international community for violating Panamanian sovereignty and for the brutality of the attack. The invasion left between 500 and 4,000 dead, depending on the source, and devastated entire neighborhoods, including El Chorrillo.

Politically, the invasion became a blueprint for future U.S. military interventions, shaping the doctrines later used in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader War on Terror. However, its impact on national sovereignty and international law remains deeply controversial.

It was a day that proved bombs aren’t always necessary to subdue an enemy—sometimes, even music can be a weapon of war.

Image | West Virginia National Guard | bodellia

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