The bargain between the USA and Cuba over Guantánamo; learn about the history of the American base on the island

The bargain between the USA and Cuba for Guantánamo The United States pays the equivalent of just under 1,800 reais per month for a piece of Cuba the size of Paris. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp This is Guantánamo Bay, where the American military prison accused of successive human rights violations is located. But why is rent so cheap? It all started in 1898, when the USA helped the Cubans gain independence from the Spanish. In return, they demanded that Cuba sign an agreement that transformed the island into a protectorate, under strong American control, and without real independence. The US has built several military bases on Cuban soil. Most were closed, but one remained: Guantánamo. The rent there was set at just a few thousand dollars a year. And the contract? Permanent. Then Fidel Castro took power after the 1959 revolution. Cuba’s communist leader clashed with the US almost immediately. Cuba confiscated American companies, but there was no way to expel the US from Guantánamo. Washington continued sending checks for rent, which Castro refused to cash. And the impasse never really ended. Guantánamo hit the news once and for all after the attack on the Twin Towers. From then on, the naval base became known for something very different. The US used it to detain suspected terrorists without trial and outside of normal courts. For many critics, Guantánamo has become a symbol of American abuse of power. For Cuba, the base has become even more difficult to accept. More recently, Donald Trump sent immigrants to detention at Guantánamo. And, as early as 2026, he suggested that the US could “take Cuba”, saying: “If I free it, take it… I think I can do whatever I want with it.” With Guantánamo, there is already a piece of the USA inside Cuba. If Trump gets his way, the entire island could end up looking a lot more like American territory. File photo: Detainees are guarded by US military personnel at the temporary camp

Source link