In the last weeks, one of the leading public affair topics in the United States has been the political situation in Crimea. The President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the official candidates for the presidency; Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have made expressions on this matter.
In general, the public opinions have been criticizing Russia for using its political and military power to annex Crimea. I want to remind that the United States has been doing the same with Puerto Rico. The imperialist geopolitics is the underlying reason for the cases of Puerto Rico and Crimea.
Recently the representatives of all political parties in Puerto Rico denounced the colonial situation of Puerto Rico to the United Nations (UN). On June 20, 2016 the Special Committee on Decolonization of the UN approves by consensus a resolution in which states:
• "Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence".
• The UN called “upon the President of the United States to release, without delay, the Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, who had served more than 35 years in a United States prison for reasons relating to the Puerto Rican quest for independence. It expressed deep concern over actions carried out against Puerto Rican independence activists.”
The United States should be debating the case of Puerto Rico because it is the one that is relevant. In the case of Crimea, they have no voice or vote. In the case of Puerto Rico, they have a moral and legal obligation, in addition to the demand of all countries of the world represented in the UN. So, It’s not Crimea, it is Puerto Rico.
References:
United Nations. (June 20, 2016). Special Committee on Decolonization Approves Text Calling upon United States Government to Expedite Self-Determination Process for Puerto Rico. Retrieved on August 11, 2006 from http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/gacol3296.doc.htm
Note: Original blog was published in Spanish on August 10, 2016. See http://pizarrojesus.com/