As mass protests swirled in Puerto Rico over vulgar tweets and governmental corruption, I could not stop thinking about a famous cartoon published over a century ago in Puck Magazine. The cartoon, entitled “School Begins,” depicts an angry- looking Uncle Sam as schoolmarm, admonishing students sitting in the front row as others go about their…
Category: colonialism
More on Cuba, North Korea, and Habana Libre
Yesterday, I asked: Could it also be that the blockade was never about human rights, and everything about the Habana Hilton and the sugar economy? Could it be that the blockade was all about regime change in the name of free markets for US interests? Let me be clearer: Yes. And yes. Making sense of…
Getting from North Korea to Cuba, one market at a time
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un met in Singapore a few days ago and reached a “historic agreement” towards denuclearization. It is not a peace treaty, nor is it a comprehensive agreement for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arsenal. But it is something, with the details left for another day. For these…
What is Puerto Rico?
On Tuesday, a protest march in Puerto Rico’s financial district turned violent. The island appears to be in chaos and record numbers of residents are moving to the United States. The island’s financial health is dire, yet Puerto Rico is unable to declare bankruptcy under applicable federal laws. In response, the federally appointed PROMESA…