It takes two to tango

The United States is in a curious relationship with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a U.S. unincorporated territory. Historiography concerning the political status of Puerto Rico indicates a clearly distinguishable debate between critics (mostly non-U.S. scholars) on the one hand who argue that the relationship between the continental States and Puerto Rico resembles that of a colonial relation and U.S. scholars on the other hand that avoid addressing the subject matter or put forth official, but ambiguous terms to defend the relationship. The first group desires that the ambiguous relationship that has existed since the U.S. acquisition of the island in 1898 should undergo a change so that Puerto Rico’s status becomes internationally accepted. However, U.S. Congress, which has the final jurisdiction over Puerto Rico’s status, seems to ignore the many requests regarding a change in Puerto Rico’s status. The situation seems in sharp contrast with the way the United States desires to globally present itself as a supporter of self-determination. I assume that, despite the fact that U.S. Congress did not prioritize a status change for Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans have had beneficial interests in their unique relationship with the United States and that this has had a role in why the territorial commonwealth situation as it was constructed in 1952 is still intact. This thesis explores the underlying interests that both the United States and Puerto Rico have in their relationship and thereby focuses on three periods in history: 1898, the acquisition period; 1950s, the post-war era; and the 2000s, for recent developments.