World

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?

Published SEP 24

UK Says Chagos Deal Under Review After Trump Rebuke

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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.

GB News Atlantic

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.

Independent United Nations