Guantánamo Bay has been seeped in controversy for the greater part of the century. Located on the southeastern tip of Cuba, it is the only U.S base located in a communist country. The 45-square-mile site was originally used as a coaling station for U.S. Navy ships, under a lease drawn up in 1903. U.S. possession of Guantánamo was reaffirmed under former Cuban president Batista in 1934 with a provision that the lease could not be terminated without mutual consent — a provision that was challenged to no avail by Fidel Castro following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The denial of his request to return the land to Cuba by President Eisenhower paved the way for escalated tensions between the two countries; Fidel later called it "a knife stuck in the heart of Cuba's dignity and sovereignty."
Despite Cuban disdain for the base, it received some international praise and recognition in the early 1990s when it became a vital haven for Haitian refugees fleeing the violent coup that ravaged their country. However, these glory days have been outshone by its current role as a detention center. Since early 2002, the beginning of the U.S.-led War on Terror, the base has been used to house those suspected of terrorist activity or of having ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Despite Cuban disdain for the base, it received some international praise and recognition in the early 1990s when it became a vital haven for Haitian refugees fleeing the violent coup that ravaged their country. However, these glory days have been outshone by its current role as a detention center. Since early 2002, the beginning of the U.S.-led War on Terror, the base has been used to house those suspected of terrorist activity or of having ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
