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5 Things to Know about Guantanamo Bay on its 115th Birthday

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Tulane University

Read more in Jana K. Lipman "5 Things to Know about Guantanamo Bay on its 115th Birthday," The Conversation, December 10, 2018.

The naval base at Guantanamo Bay is quietly commemorating its 115th anniversary.

On Dec. 10, 1903, the United States established its first overseas military base on 45 square miles of Cuban territory.

Today, the base at Guantanamo Bay is infamously associated with images of Muslim detainees wearing orange jumpsuits – alleged terrorists detained after the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks.

But there’s much more to this naval base than its use as an offshore prison, as I documented in my book, “Guantánamo: A Working-Class History between Empire and Revolution.”