Donald Trump, the newly elected President of the United States, has threatened to demand the return of the Panama Canal from Panama due to increased tolls imposed for its use. Although he claims the canal should be fairly managed according to the 1977 treaties, experts assert that reclaiming control would be impossible without military intervention. The canal, an essential maritime route, was historically a point of contention between the U.S. and Panama, culminating in a transfer of control in 1999. Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino affirmed that the canal belongs entirely to Panama.