Christmas, 1989: Operation Just Cause and Ceausescu executed

Twenty Christmases ago, a sea-change year was winding down. The Velvet Revolution graced Eastern Europe, although the upheaval was a violent one in Romania. On this day in 1989 Nicolae Ceausescu, a brutal dictator and founder of his own personality cult, was executed, along with his odious wife after being found guilty in a show trial.

In this hemisphere, Operation Just Cause, the overthrow mission of Panamanian narco-leader Manuel Noriega by US forces, was in its sixth day.

It was a long way from Peace on Earth, but better times were coming for Romania and Panama.

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