Don’t trust U.K. on Diego Garcia

Trump should not let Starmer hand U.S. base to Mauritius

President Trump is a real estate man. He knows when he is being played, and the British are playing him over some important Indian Ocean real estate.

The U.S. operates a critical military base on Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Chagos Archipelago, under a 1966 agreement with Britain that remains in effect until 2036.

Diego Garcia is America’s only military base in the Indian Ocean. It’s akin to what U.S. bases in Hawaii are for operations in the Pacific.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government is ramming through a separate treaty that hands Chagos to Mauritius, a country 1,200 miles away with no ties to Chagos or the Chagossian people, most of whom oppose the move.

Others against the deal, including the former deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command and the former British defense secretary, are pointing out the dangers:

Britain plans to pay Mauritius billions of dollars over 99 years to lease Diego Garcia. If it misses one payment, then Mauritius can terminate the lease.

China has considerable and growing influence in Mauritius.

The Chagos archipelago has 58 other islands. Expect to see Chinese “businessmen,” fishing boats and “research” vessels moving in.

Mauritius has signed the pan-African Pelindaba Treaty, which prohibits nuclear weapons. U.S. forces using Diego Garcia may sometimes have nuclear weapons.

Stand by for debilitating, nonstop legal action.

Nobody asked the Chagossians what they wanted.

Mauritius’ chief negotiator is Mr. Starmer’s old friend, making this at least a conflict of interest.

Mr. Starmer argues that the treaty guarantees the Americans’ use of Diego Garcia for “generations.” He also says it’s the best deal available.

How about no deal at all?

It’s hard to know what Mr. Trump thinks.

When he first met Mr. Starmer a year ago, Mr. Trump said he thought the deal was fine. A few weeks ago, he called it “total stupidity.” Just the other day, after speaking with Mr. Starmer, he said it was “the best deal available.” The prime minister reportedly assured Mr. Trump that any concerns were unfounded.

This is where the president’s real estate instincts should kick in. The deal obviously has problems, but the guy on the other side of the table is saying, “Trust me. Don’t worry. Sign here.”

Mr. Trump has surely heard this sort of thing before. Also, consider who is telling him not to worry: the British government.

‘Trust me’: Hong Kong edition

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Mr. Trump should ask the people of Hong Kong for a reference. In 1984, Britain and China signed a deal handing Hong Kong back to China in 1997.

Britain assured everyone that things would be fine. The deal called for Hong Kong to retain its special system for at least 50 years, or until 2047. London insisted this was the best deal Hong Kong could get. Considering China in the early 1980s, though, it was not.

Soon after taking over, the People’s Republic of China began snuffing out Hong Kongers’ liberties. In 2017, Beijing said the treaty was a dead letter. So much for “Don’t worry.”

Coincidentally, Mr. Starmer’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, was involved in the negotiations for the Hong Kong handover.

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‘Trust me’: Zimbabwe edition

If Mr. Trump needs a second reference, he can ask around Zimbabwe. In late 1979 and early 1980, Her Majesty’s government pushed a deal to end Rhodesia’s civil war.

Again, it claimed this was the best deal possible (as if supporting the democratically elected Muzorewa government weren’t an option).

The British also implied they could rein in the likely new prime minister, Robert Mugabe. They had written “safeguards” into the deal and the new constitution.

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Prince Charles came, gave a nice speech and went home — just like he later did in Hong Kong.

Before long, Mugabe’s troops had murdered 20,000 Matabele tribesmen and started 37 years of government by murder, theft, corruption and intimidation.

So much for the “Trust us” one often heard out of London in 1980 and hears today with the Chagos deal.

One hopes Mr. Trump’s comment last year about Mr. Starmer’s “lovely accent” was tongue in cheek, but it wouldn’t be the first time an English accent worked like a magic flute on an American.

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Mr. Trump’s Queens, New York, accent may not be as mellifluous as Mr. Starmer’s, but he has been around enough negotiations and enough desperate, shady characters over the years to recognize a bad deal.

This is a bad one.

If he lets it go through, then it will be President Trump’s version of Joseph R. Biden’s “Bagram” giveaway in Afghanistan.

Originally published by Washington Times