Fantasy island : colonialism, exploitation, and the betrayal of Puerto Rico / Ed Morales.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morales, Ed, 1956- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Capitalism.

History.

Puerto Ricans.

Economic conditions.

Politics and government.

Puerto Rico--History.

Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico--Politics and government--21st century.

Puerto Rico--Economic conditions--21st century.

Puerto Ricans--United States--History.

Hurricane Maria, 2017.

Capitalism--Puerto Rico--History.

Economic history.

United States.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

vii, 344 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Colonialism, exploitation, and the betrayal of Puerto Rico

Place of Publication:

New York : Bold Type Books, 2019.

Summary:

"Since its acquisition by the US in 1898, Puerto Rico has served as a testing ground for the most aggressive and exploitative US economic, political, and social policies. The devastation that ensued finally grew impossible to ignore in 2017, in the wake of Hurricane María, as the physical destruction compounded the infrastructure collapse and trauma inflicted by the debt crisis. In Fantasy Island, Ed Morales traces how, over the years, Puerto Rico has served as a colonial satellite, a Cold War Caribbean showcase, a dumping ground for US manufactured goods, and a corporate tax shelter. He also shows how it has become a blank canvas for mercenary experiments in disaster capitalism on the frontlines of climate change, hamstrung by internal political corruption and the US federal government's prioritization of outside financial interests. Taking readers from San Juan to New York City and back to his family's home in the Luquillo Mountains, Morales shows us the machinations of financial and political interests in both the US and Puerto Rico, and the resistance efforts of Puerto Rican artists and activists. Through it all, he emphasizes that the only way to stop Puerto Rico from being bled is to let Puerto Ricans take control of their own destiny, going beyond the statehood-commonwealth-independence debate to complete decolonization."--Page [2] of cover.

Contents:

A brief history of US colonialism in Puerto Rico

Clear and present danger: prelude to the crisis

The diablo in derivatives: borrowing to meet basic needs

Bond emissions, corruption, and betrayal: how two governments failed Puerto Rico

PROMESA = pobreza

Status update?

Hurricane María destroys the commonwealth fantasy

The Trump factor: vultures, lobbyists, and disaster capitalism

The art of resistance

Fantasy's end.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 309-322) and index.

ISBN:

1568588992

9781568588995

OCLC:

1084409569