The status of Puerto Rico in international law

Any attempt to analyze the constitutional and international law issues involved in the determination of the status of Puerto Rico requires a general survey of the limitations which have been imposed upon the colony by metropolitan administering powers holding sovereignty over the island, as well as of the power which has been given to local authorities to control internal matters. This analysis should be designed to determine the amount of autonomy given to the dependency in the conduct of its internal and international affairs, because international status depends exclusively on the freedom enjoyed by a dependent area in those two fields.