Synopses & Reviews
Post-2002 events at the U.S. naval facility at Guantanamo Bay have generated a spate of books on its use as a detention center in the U.S. fight against terrorism. Yet the crucial enabling factor-the lease that gave the U.S. control over the territory in Cuba-has till now escaped any but cursory consideration. The Leasing of Guantanamo Bay explains just how Guantanamo Bay came to be a leased territory where the U.S. has no sovereignty and Cuba has no jurisdiction. This is the first definitive account of the details and workings of the unusual and problematic state-to-state leasing arrangement that is the essential but murky foundation for all the ongoing controversies about Guantanamo Bay's role in U.S. anti-terrorism efforts, charges of U.S. human rights violations, and U.S.-Cuban relations.
Review
"Strauss (international relations, Centre d'Etudes Diplomatiques et Stratégiques, Paris) has used unpublished and previously classified government correspondence to document the historical emergence of Guantanamo Bay as a US military base and center for anti-terrorist efforts. The author explores the somewhat "murky" leasing arrangements that defy both sovereignty and jurisdiction rights and provides students and scholars with the facts concerning the objectives of the territorial lease and the recent and current debates concerning the future of Guantanamo Bay. Appendices include relevant documents such as the Treaty of Paris, the Platt Amendment and the Guantanamo Bay Expansion Treaty of 1912." - Reference & Research Book News
Review
Michael Strauss has written an admirably authoritative study of the long-term leasing arrangments for the American naval facility at Guantanamo Bay. It is an illuminating and learned account of the evolving Guantanamo experience from the perspective of international law, an overlooked dimension of this basing arrangement since its controversial post-9/11 use as a detention center for suspected terrorists captured overseas.Richard Falk Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University
Review
"An excellent study of the historical, political, and legal arrangements of this remarkable piece of land.' " - Peace Palace Library
Review
"Strauss brings international law to life with this technical yet accessible exploration of the U.S. naval station in southern Cuba." - Foreign Affairs
Review
". . . gives rare insight into the complicated nature of U.S.-Cuban relations and the agreement that led to the Guantanamo Bay facility. . . . Mixed with history of the facility, the book contains rarely reported insights on how the U.S. deviated from the lease terms and why Cuba made no challenge." - Digital Quill
Review
"The exhaustive analysis by Michael Strauss is the first that allows us to understand how the statute of Guantanamo… made this territory a detention center outside the standards which only Washington can put an end to. An excellent illustration of the arbitrary limits of international rights in this 21st century." - Translated from French - Le Monde Diplomatique
Review
"This thoughtful work represents a major contribution to the broader study of territorial leasing as well as a comprehensive case-study of the Guantanamo lease. It will undoubtedly be widely consulted in the years ahead as the issue of the territory's possible return to Cuba remains firmly on the agenda." - International Affairs
Review
"Michael Strauss adds an important and unique contribution to the pursuit of justice in the 21st century by calling into question the possibility of activities in the arena of a leased territory." < p="">Michael Ratner < br=""> President Center for Constitutional Rights and author of < i=""> Guantanamo: What the World Should Know, The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld, International Human Rights Litigation < i=""> <>
Review
"Strauss has composed the most comprehensive analysis to date of the legal status of Guantanamo Bay and its detention centers. More than just a history, The Leasing of Guantanamo Bay masterfully untangles the threads of law, politics and power that have made Guantanamo one of the strangest parcels of land on earth. For those who are interested in what goes on at Guantanamo and why, the book is indispensable." < p="">Marc Falkoff < br=""> Assistant Professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law < br=""> Editor of < i=""> Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak < i=""> <>
Synopsis
The U.S. lease of Guantanamo Bay from Cuba is a territorial Frankenstein's monster that is running amok outside the respective legal systems of its parties and outside the bounds of international law.
About the Author
MICHAEL J. STRAUSS is Lecturer in International Relations at the Centre d'Etudes Diplomatiques et Strategiques, Paris, specializing in territorial leases as phenomena of international relations and international law for resolving sovereignty disputes. Prior to entering academia, he was an international journalist and served as bureau chief for Agence France-Presse's AFX News in Paris, Knight-Ridder Financial News in Madrid, and Dow Jones News Service in Geneva. He took his Ph.D. in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Centre d'Etudes Diplomatiques et Strategiques and his M.Sc. in Journalism from Columbia University, where he was an International Fellow in the School of International Affairs. He is the author of The Viability of International Leases in Resolving International Sovereignty Disputes: A Comparative Study.