“Remind me again why PR is a US protectorate, or whatever.”
Because in the 1890s a lot of dumb people were really bored and really thought we “needed” the place.
THAT long ago? Yikes.
If I remember correctly, we got PR because we fought a war with Spain over Cuba and their presence in our hemisphere. Remember the Monroe Doctrine about foreign powers in our sphere of influence? Remember the Soviet Union in Cuba, and the Missile Crisis? Also the Russians now appear to be helping the dictatorship in Venezuela. If we didn’t have PR, the Russians would probably be in there with both feet.