The Last Colony?

I was sent this article by a friend earlier in the week. Although this is not from a country we are or will study and technically it is not part of the "Latin America", I thought it might be interesting to discuss on the blog. Particularly cause I am from this island in the Caribbean. The article is about Puerto Rico, and how it is status could be classified in many ways as a colony, although the term used is a Commonwealth. The article is a bit old, written in 1997 but it still describes many of the policies that are currently in place. A major difference since then is that the military presence has significantly decreased since a situation occurred at the island of Vieques, which is a small island off the east coast that is part of Puerto Rico.

Vieques Protests: CNN Archives

The problem of status is one which is central in Puerto Rican government. The three main parties in the island base their political platforms on this issue. Some would like to push for statehood, others would like to keep the same status but with some changes and the minority would like independence. The issue has even been brought out at the United Nations.

Here is the article so y'all can read, I'd like to know what your thoughts are about it:

Puerto Rico: The Last Colony

As for my personal opinion, I think a decision should be made, be it what it may. Of course this has to start with the Puerto Rican people. We had a referendum in which the majority voted for the "none of the above" option which did not help at all. I think statehood is pretty far fetched, and I would probably have my reserveations with us becoming a state. Yet, at teh same time I realize that our island has become very dependant of the United States and have my doubts if independence would actually work. Many of the proponents of independence propose the Costa Rican model be applied to Puerto Rico. While it may be an idea, they still need to a lot more support than what they currently have. Still I think independence from the US is inevitable in the future of our island. Maybe not now but in the future.