Established as America's first foreign naval base following the Spanish-American War, Guantâanamo is now more often thought of as our Devil's Island. This book takes readers beyond the orange-jumpsuited detainees of today's headlines to provide the first comprehensive history of Guantâanamo from its origins to the present. Occupying 45 square miles of land and sea, Guantâanamo has for more than a century symbolized the imperial impulse within U.S. foreign policy, and its occupation is decried by Cuba as a violation of international law--even though a treaty legally grants the U.S. a lease in perpetuity. Stephen Schwab now describes the base's role in American, Caribbean, and global history, explaining how it came to be, why it's still there, and how it continues to serve a variety of purposes.--From publisher description.