Trump's Risky Diego Garcia Play: Greenland Politics Ignites Indian Ocean Crisis

• Donald Trump's attempt to acquire Greenland has spilled into the Indian Ocean, as he uses Diego Garcia to pressure the UK.
• Trump criticized the UK's plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, calling it an "act of total weakness" and linking it to the need for the US to acquire Greenland.
• Diego Garcia, home to a critical US-UK military base, is part of the Chagos Archipelago, which legally belongs to Mauritius; the UK's transfer of sovereignty follows international rulings.
• The agreement ensures the US retains military access to Diego Garcia via a 99-year lease from Mauritius, debunking Trump's claims of losing access or a China-Russia threat.
• Trump's actions are seen as leveraging one territorial issue (Diego Garcia) to advance another (Greenland), potentially undermining international law and Western credibility.

Why It Matters: Trump's controversial stance on Diego Garcia, driven by his Greenland ambitions, risks destabilizing international relations.