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SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW AND THEORY OF SUBORDINATE INTEGRATION...
modernization and economic achievements attained between 1940-95 can
disappear, and are disappearing rapidly, because of the superficial character
of productivity and the lack of a real economic, social and political
national organization.
The integration of Puerto Rico to the United States, which appeared
to so many experts as a beneficial move, today has produced a range of
very serious problems with no apparent solution. Essentially, this process
of “dependent integration” is not healthy for the present and future development
of Puerto Rico. Theoretically we have seen the reasons that make
this an unfavorable process of integration and in the long run hinders
healthy capitalist development.
Recently, the possibility of a permanent integration of Puerto Rico
to the United States through a process of annexation has been proposed,
a process imposed and controlled by Washington. If this should happen,
for the first time in history, the United States will have incorporated a
Latin American and Caribbean country as part of its national territory.
It should be clear that the Puerto Rican nation is not going to accept its
transformation into a ghetto and into a new marginal U.S. minority as its
historical destiny—without a fight. If the United States commits this error,
from that moment on, integration of Puerto Rico will also have very unfavorable
repercussions internally for the United States. The case of Puerto
Rico should serve as a warning for Mexico, Panamá, Central America and
the Antilles. Subordinate dependent integration can bring some advantages
in its initial stages, but in the long run it cannot be an adequate
model of economic and social development. This type of “subordinate
dependent integration” will not produce solid and advanced capitalist
economic development for our region. Mexico should avoid this historic
error, as well as the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean.
6. MEXICO: ITS INTEGRATION INTO THE
NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
In February and June of 1990, information to the effect that Mexico
would officially become a member of the North American Free Trade
Zone appeared in the international press. 21 Part of the agreement with the
United States and Canada was to be signed in December of that year, the
d) Peace Courier, “Report from the Meeting of National Peace Committees
from Latin America and the Caribbean,” No. 2, Helsinki, Finland, Feb. 1990,
p. 11.
21
Owen, Lisa, “Mexico, U.S. reportedly moving toward freer trade,” The Times
of the Americas, Washington, D.C., April 4, 1990, p. 16.
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Vol. XX, Núm. x - xxxxx de 2005 • HOMINES •