Our case today takes us to the Indian Ocean, to a remote and breathtaking group of islands at the centre of a high-stakes legal battle. 

The Chagos Archipelago is the focus of a decades-long dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom — one that involves international courts, the shadow of the Cold War, and a powerful U.S. military base. 

This legal battle continues to the present day, and at its heart is a devastating human story of a paradise lost.

Show Notes

Guest: Professor Douglas Guilfoyle, University of New South Wales

Check out Douglas's podcast Called to the Bar: International Law Over Drinks.

Litigation as legal statecraft: Small states and the law of the sea, by Douglas Guilfoyle (Centre for International Law Blog, National University of Singapore, 7 July 2023)

The Chagos Archipelago Before International Tribunals: Strategic Litigation and the Production Of Historical Knowledge, by Douglas Guilfoyle (Melbourne Journal of International Law)

Chagos islanders make historic trip home without British escort (BBC News, 16 February 2022)

The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain's Colonial Legacy by Philippe Sands & Martin Rowson

UK Foreign Secretary's statement on the Chagos Islands (7 October 2024)

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