Why Guantánamo Bay?

Ever wondered how the United States can maintain a military base on the island nation of Cuba when the two countries do not have diplomatic relations? I'm referring of course to Guantánamo Bay and the 1903 Platt Amendment which was added as a rider to the U.S. Army Appropriations Act following their withdrawal from Cuba in the aftermath of the Spanish-American war.

The Amendment stipulated:

1.) Cuba surrender to the U.S. that country's existing naval base in Guantánamo Bay;

2.) Cuba would not be allowed to transfer Cuban land to anyone other than the United States;

3.) The U.S. had the right to intervene in any and/or all Cuba affairs that the U.S. felt was necessary;

4.) Cuba was not allowed to "negotiate treaties" with any other country other than the United States.

Cuba at that time agreed to the Amendment for various reasons including one supposes, the fact that the U.S. could even in the early 20th century, blow them to smithereens if crossed. The original Platt Amendment provisions however were mostly repealed thirty years later in 1934 except for one - the U.S. insisted upon its retention of Guantánamo Bay through a long-term lease policy until "they no longer needed it". The lease can only be revoked if both the United States and Cuba agree.

The United States government each year sends to Cuba a cheque in the amount of $4,085 to cover the lease agreement but since Fidel Castro assumed power, not one cheque has been cashed and rumours suggest that they have been accumulating in a government office desk drawer for decades.

The U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay occupies some 120 square kilometres (71 square miles) of prime Cuban land which includes 17square kilometres (23 square miles) of previously pristine coastline. At least 7,000 people are stationed on the base permanently, 3,000 of which are military personnel and an unknown amount of "enemy combatants". The bay has 42 moorings and the port can accommodate the largest ships in the U.S. Navy. Until 1998, within base perimeters was one of the densest mine fields in the world, with an estimated 735 acres containing 70,000 antipersonnel and antitank mines.

Local environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned over the accumulation of hazardous materials ending up in landfills on the base including electronic equipment, paint, solvents, tires, aerosol cans and batteries.

The base newsletter, The Guantanamo Bay Gazette reported earlier this year that a recipe for disaster is being created today that will be realized "10, 20, 50 years from now." The Cuban Foreign Affairs Department reports that ongoing American military exercises including the use of nuclear-powered submarines have resulted in damage to the ecosystem along the Cuban coastline including the offshore delicate coral reef system.