Freedom of religion did not come easily to Cuba or Puerto Rico. Only after the arrival of American troops during the Spanish-American War were non-Catholics permitted to practice their religions openly and to proselytize. When government efforts to ensure freedom of worship began, reformers on both islands rejoiced, believing that an era of regeneration and modernization was upon them. But as new laws went into effect, critics voiced their dismay at the rise of popular religions. Reinaldo L. Roman explores the changing relationship between regulators and practitioners in neocolonial Cuba and Puerto Rico. Spiritism, Santeria, and other African-derived traditions were typically characterized in sensational fashion by the popular press as "a plague of superstition." Examining seven episodes between 1898 and the Cuban Revolution when the public demanded official actions against "misbelief," Roman finds that when outbreaks of superstition were debated, matters of citizenship were usually at stake. He links the circulation of spectacular charges of witchcraft and miracle-making to anxieties surrounding newly expanded citizenries that included people of color. Governing Spirits also contributes to the understanding of vernacular religions by moving beyond questions of national or traditional origins to illuminate how boundaries among hybrid practices evolved in a process of historical contingencies.

Many states suffer from internal violence and terrorism that is national rather than international, and cannot benefit from the solidarity inherent in the campaign against international terrorism. The present study sets out to develop a paradigm for the systematic assessment of international responses to situations of internal violence-cum-terrorism and demonstrate its relevance in actual conflict situations.

Como cada línea que sale de las mismas entrañas hasta hacerse lucir en el blanco lienzo...hermosa palabra de consentimiento a la vida, es aquella que dicta amor. Sinceridad profunda que desplaza el bello sentimiento, haciendo únicas las vivencias y rescatando todo pensamiento hacia la felicidad. La razón de vivir se manifiesta a través del amor...ese amor que eleva el ser sobre al desafío de la vida. Abro mi corazón y lo dejo respirar amor puro, amor que entrego sin condición. Estoy de paso en la vida, irradio amor por doquier, mas allá de los astros está Dios y eso es lo que desea de mi...y de ti. Simplifico las dificultades para ver las oportunidades que se presentan...esas que a largo plazo, son las que dan experiencia de vida. Genero valor y construyo momentos llenos de belleza, bordando hileras que puedo dejar como un “manifiesto de amor...de cara al mundo