In a recent interview with Fareed Zakaria about his new book, The Message, influential author Ta-Nehisi Coates explained that he is “probably somebody who would argue that America itself did not really have a democracy until the 1960s,” implying that democracy in the U.S. has attained some level of finality today.
But has it? Does the U.S. have democracy today? Certainly some say no, such as the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, which for many years has passed an annual resolution calling on the U.S. to pursue “the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico” to self-determination. In 2024, Cuba led this charge with a focus on Puerto Rican independence, along with the support of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and several other countries.
The definition of democracy
In his interview with Zakaria, Coates says that when people “have no real say in their ultimate governance,” he doesn’t know how a nation can “call [itself] a democracy, you know, in a situation like that.”
More than three million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico have no real say in their governance. They cannot vote in presidential elections. Not even Puerto Rican veterans or those engaged in current military service can vote for their Commander in Chief.
Puerto Rico has no U.S. Senators and one non-voting Resident Commissioner. Puerto Rico is bound by U.S. laws it has no say in passing.
A financial control board, appointed by Congress in 2016, oversees Puerto Rico’s economy. The locally elected government must defer to the Financial Oversight and Management Board on financial decisions.
In 2012, Puerto Rico voters explicitly rejected the current territorial status in a plebiscite, making it clear that Puerto Rico is now governed without the consent of the governed.
Is this a democratic situation?
Real world consequences
This is not just a philosophical argument. There are tangible consequences for Puerto Rico, such as:
- Puerto Rico is left out of federal programs such as nutrition assistance. After Hurricane Maria, the results were devastating.
- The absence of federal support weakens access to healthcare in Puerto Rico and the related health care infrastructure. There is a doctor shortage on the island.
- Fewer resources are available to help Puerto Rican localities and civic organizations apply for grants and gain resources because the Resident Commissioner represents millions rather than thousands of U.S. citizens.
- Puerto Ricans are voting for statehood with their feet, moving stateside for better healthcare and professional opportunities, to the detriment of the Puerto Rican economy.
These financial issues aside, the biggest casualty of Puerto Rico’s current colonial status may be a sense of dignity in Puerto Rico and a sense of integrity in the states. There are also reputational consequences for the U.S. To quote former President Ronald Reagan, “we cannot expect our foreign policies to be enjoying prestige around the world – attracting support instead of collapsing – when we are having serious problems with our closest neighbors.”
What can be done about it?
Coates, in his book and related interviews, is talking about the war-torn Middle East, in Israel and the West Bank. He takes on the region through the lens of the U.S. civil rights struggle, which may be an understandable point of departure for an American but is not without its critics. As one British-Palestinian author pointed out, “America’s racist past simply does not map neatly onto the Middle East.”
On the other hand, Puerto Rico’s current colonial status is straightforward. In 1898, in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a U.S. a territory — or a colony — of the United States.
Ta-Nehisi Coates has expressed affection for the Puerto Rican community living stateside, in his words, his “long-lost cousins,” but he has not used his platform to shine a spotlight on U.S. responsibility for colonialism today. He’s in good company.
How does the most populous colony of the United States escape notice – and accountability? Why is no one speaking up for, or even learning about, Puerto Rico on college campuses? Can America fix its own democracy?
In addition to the threshold question of whether America’s own house is in order, there’s also the matter of effectiveness. Although Americans do not control the decision making of foreign governments, the U.S. democratic system, as imperfect as it may be, is structured to listen to U.S. citizens living stateside. This is done through their Members of Congress.
Under the U.S. Constitution, it is the responsibility of Congress to solve the problem of Puerto Rico’s undemocratic status.
Congress can do so in one of two ways: (1) Puerto Rican independence (with or without a free association military arrangement), in which Puerto Ricans would lose U.S. citizenship, or (2) Puerto Rican statehood, in which Puerto Ricans keep it. Although Cuba and other nations at the U.N. may be pointing the way towards independence, Puerto Ricans “value their U.S. citizenship enormously” according to a 2011 Obama Administration report, and any change in Puerto Rico’s status “that could conceivably result in the loss of U.S. citizenship” would “be viewed with hostility by the vast majority of Puerto Ricans.”
Congress, as a part of the – unfinished – democracy of the United States, has the power to decolonize Puerto Rico. It is Congress alone that has the authority to fix the current blind spot of U.S. democracy. The first step is for constituents to ask. To speak up. To use their platforms. Ultimately, achieving democracy starts at home.
