Fragmented imperialism

Abstract

This article explains the rise and demise of the US Navy’s monopoly over radio communication in Panama (1914–36) via an interactive analysis of the conflicting logics of territorial and capitalist imperialism. By placing communication policy in the context of the transition from British to American leadership in the world system, the study reveals that fragmentation within the imperialist power, the transition from radiotelegraphy to broadcasting and American policy-makers' adoption of attitudes appropriate for a rising hegemon, all helped the Panamanian government achieve some measure of independence from US control. The article contends that interactive analyses of imperialism deserve a more prominent role in the political economy of media and communication technologies and that such analyses of US imperialism are inseparable from the changing position of the country in the world system.