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Article: Puerto Rico: beyond 'West Side Story'.
- Article from:
- Contemporary Review
- Article date:
- December 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Contemporary Review Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THERE is a near constant discussion of the current state of the 'American Empire'. [1] The US is now the global superpower, having taken on that role in World War II, largely as the UK's replacement. [2] Additionally, like any imperial power the US is allegedly now being extended too far, such as in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.
This article examines the history and political status of a territory acquired in an earlier US push to global power: the former Spanish colony of Puerto Rico. This is now a 'free associated state' or a 'commonwealth' within the US (the only territory with that political relationship with the US). But some claim that it is just ...