Chagos Islands

Traditionally the centre-right like to talk about morality (as does every other faction!) but a lot of them think “we” (the West/ the UK / UK-US or whatever) should hang onto the Chagos Islands.

UK/US jointly booted the Chagos Islanders so US could build a military base there to help win the cold war. It’s very useful strategically, even with floating air bases (carriers). We won the cold war. We should thank the Chagos Islanders. They want their island paradise back. Who wouldn’t. It’s their home.

The next ‘war’ will be different. Nobody can be certain how but ‘hybrid war’ is much talked-of. Chatham House constantly talk of a multipolar world and ‘recognition’. I personally see a bipolar element ie G7 v BRICS as well but we’ll see (neither G7 nor BRICS are anywhere close to monolithic ofc).

The US base is to remain for 99 years (in the current as-yet-unconfirmed ‘deal’ (I put ‘deal’ in quotes because they weren’t ‘ours’ in the first place)).

Even in purely realpolitik terms, ‘recognition’ is gonna be big (I do this s**t fulltime and CH are experts).

I’ll go along with whatever, but do not listen to the carping from the sidelines. Listen to experts and practitioners.

I am aware that the ‘deal’ doesn’t grant sovereignty to the Chagos Islanders. Mauritius gets sovereignty for now, for complicated reasons. But it’s what the Chagos Islanders prefer to what they have now, collectively.

We won’t bully our way in a multipolar world, morality aside.

So it’s pretty obvious, right?