India has quietly supported the UK’s transfer of sovereignty over Diego Garcia — a British-administered island since 1965 — back to Mauritius. Washington also privately encouraged Britain to settle the dispute. So, why is US President Trump calling the UK “stupid” now?
US President Donald Trump’s latest outburst over Britain’s decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has revived Cold War-era anxieties, stirred memories of the 1971 Bangladesh war, and underscored how disparate global issues are being folded into his renewed push to acquire Greenland.
At the centre of the controversy is Diego Garcia, a remote but strategically vital Indian Ocean island that has served as a US military base for more than half a century.
At the centre of the controversy is Diego Garcia, a remote but strategically vital Indian Ocean island that has served as a US military base for more than half a century.