The decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has taken many by surprise. After years of painful negotiations, the speed with which the Labour government concluded a deal seems striking. But while the terms of the treaty to settle the future of the Chagos appear to have been thrashed out quickly, it’s a decision that could come back to bite in the years and decades to come.
This could spell trouble in the years ahead
The Foreign Office statement frames the agreement as a resolution of all outstanding differences with Mauritius, but one which also protects the continued operation of the strategically-important joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia. Is that really the case?
For now, it seems that this vital military base, which has long been hidden behind a thick cloak of secrecy and under-appreciated and imperfectly understood, will operate as normal. The agreement will have sought to retain the joint US-UK ability to operate the Diego Garcia base securely. But
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