Thesis Statement
It is an exercise in futility to attempt to discuss likely status alternatives for Puerto Rico in the absence of any discussion of Puerto Rican nationalism and identity. Indeed, in many ways, an honest discussion of politically feasible status alternatives for the island must begin with the question: Is Puerto Rico a nation? While seemingly a rather simple question, the topic is often muddled in semantics by some who confuse the term "nation" with that of the "state", mistakenly defining the two as synonymous; following this rationale, some political activists argue that since Puerto Rico is a territory without its own sovereign state, it can not be considered a nation, making moot any discussion of Puerto Rican nationalism and identity.
Introduction
However as amply demonstrated throughout modern political history, the two are far from synonymous. As commonly defined by political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, the term "nation" refers to a group's collective sense of common identity. More specifically, a nation may be described as:
"A large aggregation or agglomeration of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, linguistic, historical and/or cultural heritage that has led its members to think of themselves as belonging to a valued natural community sharing a common destiny that ought to be preserved forever" (Puerto Rico, 610-616)
In contrast, the term "state" refers to a specific political apparatus which may administer a territory or a nation: More specifically, a "state" may be defined as:
"A specialized type of political organization characterized by a full-time, specialized, professional work force of tax-collectors, soldiers, policemen, bureaucrats and the like that exercises supreme political authority over a defined territory with a permanent population, independent from any enduring external political control and possessing a local predominance of coercive power (always supplemented with moral and remunerative incentives as well) great.......
