Why Should We Care About the Future of the Indian Ocean’s Most Strategic Island? | with Cleo Paskal

The podcast explores the strategic importance and contested future of Diego Garcia, a British-owned atoll with a significant U.S. military base. It highlights the controversy surrounding its potential reversion to Mauritius and the implications for U.S. power projection in the Indian Ocean. Cleo Paskal, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, argues that transferring the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius could enable Chinese presence near the base, undermining U.S. security interests. The discussion also covers Chinese influence in the Pacific Islands, focusing on infrastructure projects in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, raising concerns about Chinese penetration and potential threats to U.S. territories like Guam.