Newswise — Eric Zolov, an expert in Latin American history --- specifically Cuba --- shares his expert thoughts regarding President Barack Obama's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
“One thing that is striking is the fact that Guantánamo is Cuban national territory. Technically, we simply "rent" that part of the island. This relationship dates back to the Platt Amendment, a legally binding agreement that was forced on the Cuban government as a condition for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces following the War of 1898. When the Platt Amendment was abrogated in 1934, there was a clause that stated that the U.S. could continue to claim usage (with payment) over Guantánamo so long as our presence was not ‘abandoned.’ The Castro government did not recognize that arrangement after 1959, but had little choice but to accept.
Indeed, although we continue to pay the Cuban government to "rent" Guantánamo, the checks are not cashed by the Cuban government -- as that would constitute an implicit acceptance of the U.S. presence. It's quite curious that nowhere in the present discussion is the sovereignty of Cuba over its own territory even mentioned!
I suspect this will in fact be one of the key points of discussion during Obama's upcoming visit to the island in March. He may even seek a way to have the Cuban government reclaim Guantánamo, thus creating a situation where the prison falls under Cuban control.”
Eric Zolov is an Associate Professor of History at Stony Brook University in New York.
Stony Brook University has a ReadyCam VideoLink television studio system and ISDN line available.www.bit.ly/1O8KY6W.
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