US slaps visa sanctions on Cuban president
Discussion
TIL
"U.S. Military in Guantanamo
The United States maintains a military installation in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite an adversarial relationship with the Cuban government due to a historical lease agreement that remains in effect under international law. The lease originated in 1903, following the Spanish-American War, when the newly independent Cuban government agreed to lease the territory to the U.S. in exchange for $2,000 in gold annually (later adjusted to $4,085) under the Cuban-American Treaty.
The lease granted the U.S. "complete jurisdiction and control" over the area while recognizing Cuba’s "ultimate sovereignty".
The 1934 Treaty Between the United States and Cuba reaffirmed the lease and established that it could only be modified or abrogated by mutual agreement.
Since then, the Cuban government, particularly after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, has consistently challenged the legitimacy of the lease, arguing it was imposed under duress during a period of U.S. military occupation.
Cuba has refused to cash the annual rent checks for decades, except for one inadvertently accepted in 1959.
Despite these tensions, the U.S. asserts that the lease remains valid under international law and cannot be unilaterally terminated by Cuba. The U.S. government has also made clear that it would consider any attempt by Cuba to forcibly evict U.S. forces from the base as unjustified and potentially meet such actions with force.
Thus, the U.S. presence in Guantanamo Bay persists due to the legal framework of the lease and the geopolitical realities that have prevented Cuba from reclaiming the territory, even amid strained diplomatic relations."
- AI