Series
The Panama Files
How a canal got built, and how Panama became its own country. A true story told in twelve parts plus a bonus, from France's doomed first attempt to opening day.
1 of 13 out · One part a day
The parts
- Part 1The Vote
Oct 30, 2026Out - Part 2Coming soonSoon
- Part 3Coming soonSoon
- Part 4Coming soonSoon
- Part 5Coming soonSoon
- Part 6Coming soonSoon
- Part 7Coming soonSoon
- Part 8Coming soonSoon
- Part 9Coming soonSoon
- Part 10Coming soonSoon
- Part 11Coming soonSoon
- Part 12Coming soonSoon
- BonusComing soonSoon
About this series
In 1869 a Frenchman finished the Suez Canal and became a national hero. Ten years later he set out to do it again, across Panama. What happened next took two countries, more than three decades, and more than one person who saw the trouble coming.
Each part stands on its own, and each one has its own write-up with sources. Watch them in order for the full story.