the blog of May 23, 2006

Diego Garcia

Among the long list of national disgraces one must now include the story of Diego Garcia Island, part of the Chagos Chain in the Indian Ocean. As recently as thirty years ago our government, in collaboration with the British, expelled the natives of this tropical paradise so as to build a major US military base.

A British court recently ruled the action as unethical. The Brits are always slightly ahead of us in renouncing their imperial shenanigans, but what is supposed to happen now? Declare the military base a mistake and give the island back to the natives? I think the whole world would like to see that, and it's about time someone set the precedent for "reverse imperialism" -- reparations, repatriatization, etc. (Sierra Leone was a good start).