Ian J. Seda-Irizarry is an associate professor of economics and graduate program director at John Jay College, City University of New York. His research focuses on the political economy of Puerto Rico and Marxist economic theory.
For years, Puerto Rico’s right-wing establishment has branded the Left as “communists” seeking to impoverish the island by isolating it from the US. Yet decades of economic mismanagement have discredited the Right and strengthened the populist Alliance.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico is a product of brutal austerity and inept leadership.
More neoliberal policy won’t help Puerto Rico solve its debt crisis.