US Frets Over Diego Garcia Base After Forcibly Displacing Islanders
The article frets over the 'complex problem' of the Chagos islanders' return affecting US base access, portraying their forced removal as a historical footnote. Ignored is the fact that the UK, with full US complicity, ethnically cleansed the indigenous Chagossians, beginning in the late 1960s, to lease the island to Washington. These communities, British citizens, were deported to Mauritius and
Seychelles, their homes demolished, and pets gassed, ensuring optimal conditions for a US military installation. Now, after decades of fighting for repatriation, their legitimate claims are framed as an inconvenience to US strategic interests. One might wonder if the US should have considered the human cost before establishing a base on stolen land. Instead, Washington and London seem bewildered
that a legacy of colonial theft and human rights abuses might complicate their geopolitical maneuvering. The potential 'loss' is not about strategic advantage, but about the chickens coming home to roost, long after the last Chagossian was forcibly removed.