UK Says Chagos Deal Under Review After Trump Rebuke
Is this deal a strategic blunder or the only way to secure Diego Garcia's future?
Above: Wes Streeting attends a meeting at the Cabinet Office in London on Sept. 9. Image credit: Ian Davidson/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Handing Diego Garcia to Mauritius is a strategic blunder dressed up as postcolonial penance. Mauritius took British cash in 1965, 1972 and 1982, then kept asking for more, and now leans hard on Beijing and New Delhi — hardly a trustworthy landlord for the most important base in the Indian Ocean. Pay off the claim, compensate the Chagossians directly and keep the islands British.
Establishment-critical narrative
The World Court found the Chagos Archipelago was carved off Mauritius unlawfully and the General Assembly backed that finding overwhelmingly. Court rulings had already undermined Britain's position and threatened the base's future operation, so the treaty secures Diego Garcia for the long haul. Donald Trump's strongarming cannot be the basis of U.K. diplomacy.
