The greatest shortcut in the world may be about to grow. But at what cost, asks george davies
Next Sunday, 2 million Panamanians, from high-flying bankers in the glittering capital to the impoverished indigenous people living in jungle backwaters, will have an equal voice. They will vote in a referendum for or against a $5.25bn project to expand the Panama Canal.
It will be the most momentous decision in the republic's history, with impacts on world trade and even warfare.
The 52-mile canal, opened in 1914 by the US, is the world's greatest shortcut, linking the Atlantic and the Pacific. It was designed as a military installation to grant the nascent
