UK will give sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius

Post by defrost » Fri, Oct 04, 2024, 3:46 AM UTC

BurningFrog wrote: post #159

skeledrew wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get the reason for skepticism, when this is coming from scientists who've been studying the field for many years, and have been making predictions that have been coming true. It's like an avalanche. After it starts you can't stop it or get all that snow back on the mountain; it has to get to level ground, melt (if it gets warm enough) and go through an entire cycle that takes time. So yes, things will likely…

Well, look at this section: > Climate tipping points — the "points of no return" past which key components of Earth's climate will begin to irreversibly break down — could be triggered by much lower temperatures than scientists previously thought, with some tipping points potentially already reached. There are also many more potential tipping points than scientists previously identified, according to a new study. I c…

Post by mmooss » Fri, Oct 04, 2024, 3:54 AM UTC

ethbr1 wrote: post #161

mmooss wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, what current option is equivalent to Diego Garcia? Are any of those options realistic right now?

They're all pretty far from land and in the same general area. If Diego Garcia were no longer an option, there would be alternatives. Especially with US levels of lease money. That said, few of them are quite as remote as Diego Garcia. Which means not quite as easy to secretly fly RQ-180s or whatever the hell is more clandestinely based there.

Post by peterashford » Fri, Oct 04, 2024, 3:56 AM UTC

klelatti wrote: post #123

trompetenaccoun wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hong Kong island was ceded to the British in perpetuity. The 99 years lease of the New Territories (not Hong Kong, technically) was an additional unequal treaty that the Qing were forced into on top of it, after they also had to give up Kowloon. The British could have asked for 150 years too, who'd have stopped them? Now the same happens to Britain in reverse. There is no benefit for any state to give up territory fo…

> It almost feels like China is involved in this because the number doesn't sound like something Mauritius would come up with on their own. See other 99 year leases the CCP is involved in, they're obsessed with this number Err 99 leases are common in lots of places. 99 years is a bit more than a lifetime so not many people care much about what happens afterwards. And it is a lot shorter than in perpetuity which would…

Post by apaprocki » Fri, Oct 04, 2024, 4:51 AM UTC

klelatti wrote: post #123

trompetenaccoun wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hong Kong island was ceded to the British in perpetuity. The 99 years lease of the New Territories (not Hong Kong, technically) was an additional unequal treaty that the Qing were forced into on top of it, after they also had to give up Kowloon. The British could have asked for 150 years too, who'd have stopped them? Now the same happens to Britain in reverse. There is no benefit for any state to give up territory fo…

> It almost feels like China is involved in this because the number doesn't sound like something Mauritius would come up with on their own. See other 99 year leases the CCP is involved in, they're obsessed with this number Err 99 leases are common in lots of places. 99 years is a bit more than a lifetime so not many people care much about what happens afterwards. And it is a lot shorter than in perpetuity which would…

Post by ethbr1 » Fri, Oct 04, 2024, 5:04 AM UTC

mmooss wrote: post #164

ethbr1 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're all pretty far from land and in the same general area. If Diego Garcia were no longer an option, there would be alternatives. Especially with US levels of lease money. That said, few of them are quite as remote as Diego Garcia. Which means not quite as easy to secretly fly RQ-180s or whatever the hell is more clandestinely based there.

I don't think geography is the challenge as much as politics. What country and populace will give up their ancestral land to a foreign military base. Would you? Remember that the small islands don't have much land to begin with, and bases are large.