Iran’s missile strike on Diego Garcia exposes colonial militarization of Indian Ocean amid geopolitical tensions

The Chagossian people, forcibly removed from Diego Garcia in the 1960s–70s to make way for the U.S. military base, represent a systemic violation of indigenous sovereignty and land rights. Their displacement was enabled by colonial powers (UK/US) under the pretext of Cold War security, but the base’s continued existence—despite a 2019 UN ruling—demonstrates how indigenous claims are systematically erased in geopolitical calculations. Their ongoing legal and cultural resistance, including the 2023 Chagossian referendum rejecting resettlement under current conditions, highlights the resilience of indigenous knowledge in confronting state violence.

Diego Garcia’s militarization is part of a centuries-long pattern of Western powers using Indian Ocean islands as strategic chokepoints, from Portuguese control of Goa to British dominance of the Suez Canal. The base’s construction in the 1970s coincided with the UK’s forced removal of the Chagossian population, a process enabled by the 1814 Treaty of Paris and later Cold War geopolitics. Historical parallels include the U.S. seizure of Guam and the Philippines in the late 19th century, where indigenous land rights were subordinated to military expansion. The 2019 UN resolution demanding the UK end its occupation of Diego Garcia echoes earlier decolonization struggles, such as the 1960 UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries.

In Pacific Islander cosmologies, the ocean is a living entity (*Moana Nui a Kiwa*), not a void to be militarized; the imposition of Diego Garcia as a ‘strategic asset’ contradicts this worldview. African and Arab scholars have long critiqued the Indian Ocean as a ‘Western lake,’ where colonial-era ports (e.g., Aden, Zanzibar) were repurposed for military control, mirroring Diego Garcia’s role. In South Asia, the base is seen as a tool of U.S. hegemony, reinforcing the region’s subordination to Western security architectures—a narrative absent in Western media.

Scientifically, Diego Garcia’s low-lying topography makes it highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, with projections suggesting 30–50% of the island could be submerged by 2100, threatening the base’s operational viability. The base’s construction involved dredging and coral reef destruction, disrupting marine ecosystems and fisheries that sustain local and regional food security. Studies on the health impacts of the base’s operations on nearby communities (e.g., Mauritius, Seychelles) are lacking, but historical data on U.S. military bases (e.g., Vieques, Okinawa) shows elevated cancer rates and environmental contamination.

Artistically, Diego Garcia’s militarization has inspired works like the Chagossian poet Rita Bancoult’s *The Tears of the Islands*, which frames displacement as a spiritual wound in the ocean’s memory. In Sri Lankan and Maldivian traditions, the ocean is a site of divine protection (*Varuna’s domain*), making its weaponization a sacrilege. Musicians like the Mauritian sega artist Kaya have protested the base’s presence, linking it to broader struggles for cultural sovereignty in the Indian Ocean.

Future scenarios for Diego Garcia include accelerated climate-driven abandonment, as rising seas and cyclones render the base uninhabitable by 2050, forcing a costly relocation of military assets. Alternatively, the U.S. could expand the base’s role in space surveillance or hypersonic missile defense, further entrenching its geopolitical significance. A third pathway involves regional alliances (e.g., India, Mauritius) demanding its demilitarization, leveraging the 2019 UN resolution and growing anti-colonial sentiment. The base’s fate will hinge on whether climate adaptation or geopolitical expansion takes precedence.

Marginalized voices include the Chagossian diaspora, who have waged a decades-long legal and cultural campaign for return, only to face systemic erasure in Western media. Indigenous scholars from the Pacific, such as the late Epeli Hau’ofa, have critiqued such bases as ‘islands of empire,’ highlighting their role in sustaining global hierarchies. In Mauritius and Seychelles, activists link Diego Garcia’s occupation to broader struggles against neocolonialism, including debt dependency and foreign military interference. Their perspectives are systematically excluded from security discourse, which prioritizes state narratives over lived experiences.