Decolonization Models for America’s Last Colony: Puerto Rico

Contents

Contents List of Maps  xi Introduction to the 2011 English Edition  xiii Introduction to the Third Edition (2010)  xix Introduction to the First Edition (2008)  xxvii General Note  xxxiii P A R T 1 : A Brief History of Puerto Rico  1 P A R T 2 : Interviews Successful Sovereignties: Decolonization Models for America’s Last Colony, Puerto Rico  17 Singapore  35 Slovenia  55 Ireland  75 Israel  97 New Zealand  117 Estonia  137 P A R T 3 : Comparative Tables World Bank Statistics, 2010  158 Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook Statistics, 2010  159 Growth of Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP, %), Five-Year Forecast: Economist Intelligence Unit  160 x  Contents P A R T 4 : Newspaper Columns by Dr. Ángel Collado-Schwarz Federal Laws Mean Hardships for Puerto Rican Consumers  163 China and Latin America  166 The Visits of Five Presidents, a Pope, and a King  169 The Bride Refuses to Marry  172 Ireland Is Stealing Our Cookies  175 Puerto Rico: An Archipelago Without Fresh Seafood?  178 The Bahamas, Small Yet Sovereign  181 The Spirit of Bangalore  184 The Neglect of Solar Energy  187 An Agricultural Country Without Agriculture  190 Violence, Mental Health, and Status  193 Sovereign Gardens  196 Alaskan Statehood  199 The Most Exclusive Club in the World  202 Sovereignty for Development  205 A Quarter-Century Lost  207 The Bankers Club and Puerto Rico  210 Drug Trafficking and the Feds  213 A Federal Plebiscite—so Close Yet so Far  216 The Territorial Clause Versus Sovereignty  219 The Experts and the Territorial Clause  221 The Hispanic Effect and Statehood  223 The Flight of the Pharmaceuticals and Commonwealth  225 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS . . .  228 Asia Headed Toward the Lead  231 A Decade Lost: 2000–2010  234 Obama’s 238 Minutes in Puerto Rico  236 The Thirty-Eighth Parallel and Commonwealth Status  239 Stagnation and the Lack of Indignados  242 Suggested Reading  247 Contributors  251 Index  253 ...