Oooooh! The "International Court of Justice!!!"
Time to BE SCARED!!!.
Molon Labe moment???
Sure. Let them protect it against China.
Morons.
Historically the British governed it. I guess when they abandoned their “kingdom” and “empire” they gave it to them. I bet someone in their government would miss any lease payments if we popped smoke and said “you can have your atoll back now.”
Oooooh! The "International Court of Justice!!!"
Time to BE SCARED!!!.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauritius
Mauritius ethnic groups:
Approximately two-thirds of the population is of Indo-Pakistani origin, most of whom are descendants of indentured labourers brought to work in the sugar industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries. About one-fourth of the population is Creole (of mixed French and African descent), and there are small numbers of people of Chinese and Franco-Mauritian descent.
ONLY BLACK US MILITARY PERSONNEL ALLOWED!
effing idiots.
Um...it’s closer to India
The Militant Socialist Movement is currently in power in Mauritius, what could go wrong?
.
I would think that as strategic as it may be, when there is little to no immediate adversary to fend of, that in a war time situation it is likely very vulnerable, with no other immediate assets near to it. My guess is if it is so strategic, because we have made it that way, it would be a very early target of a determined adversary. Too bad we and India have had such lousy relations over the decades that we cannot just have a base in southern India.
This is an essential staging point and “jumping off” point for forward-deployed U.S. marines. They are continually present there in their hundreds, probably sometimes thousands, ready to be dropped into new hotspots in Asia and Africa. It’s a fearful “tip of the sword” role they play, which, if a transfer of power away from the U.K. were to take place, would probably have to be moved elsewhere.
Belongs to China
Mauritians Chinese cutouts
Astonishing. The islands are 2,200 miles from Mauritius, and were completely uninhabited before the French claimed them. France imported some laborers, who became the “Chagossians.” The U.K. received the islands from France during the post-Napoleonic peace talks.
Africa who? It’s an enormous place.
In 1982 I worked on a tanker carrying JP-5 that was stationed in Diego Garcia, aka Fantasy Island. It was a merchant ship under charter to the U.S. Navy. Every morning the local TV station played the British National Anthem and then ours!
“All your base are belong to us.”
I don’t claim to be a global military expert by any means, but I was on a Navy supply ship for 2 Western Pacific cruises. Based on the number of times we visited Diego Garcia to pick up supplies and personnel to deliver to the carrier groups it appeared to be extremely strategic, and it has grown significantly since I was there. If we give it up it will be another idiotic decision by whoever is running the country.