NOAM Chomsky is one of the few of those who are politically literate in the United States who writes and talks about the situation of Diego Garcia, the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago, a group of atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, and the site of a US military base. A linguist, philosopher, writer and activist, Noam Chomsky has been called by the New York Times "the most important intellectual alive today.'' Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he received his PhD in linguistics in 1955, and joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, where he taught linguistics for over half a century. The celebrated professor is considered by many to be a hero in the global struggle for freedom and human rights. In addition to numberless talks, speeches, and interviews, he is the author of over a hundred books on linguistics, mass media, American imperialism, and US foreign policy. Along with William Blum, Marx, Shakespeare and the Bible, he is one of the ten most quoted sources in the humanities. Last month, Chomsky was denied entry into the West Bank by Israel on his way to deliver a speech at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah. One of the key points of his speech was to have been the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution calling for Israel to open its nuclear facilities to international inspections, and the African Union call for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Indian Ocean, including the island of Diego Garcia. I recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions on the subject. How important is Diego Garcia? Diego Garcia is one of the most important and certainly one of the most expensive American bases overseas, which the US uses not only as one of its main bombing centers for the Middle East and Central Asia, but also for the storing of nuclear weapons and nuclear submarines. The Obama administration is sending ‘bunker busters' and other huge bombs there that are aimed at Iran. This is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. What is your reaction to the deportation of the Chagossians by the US military so that they could build a naval and military base on Diego Garcia, and what should be done so that the native inhabitants can return home? This was sordid and shameful and the inhabitants should be unconditionally allowed to return home and the military base dismantled, not only because of the disgraceful history but also because of what potentially lies ahead. As I am sure you know, the base is now being expanded, with nuclear subs that have tremendous destructive power and ‘bunker buster' bombs aimed at Iran. What is your opinion on ‘Camp Justice' on Diego Garcia, where the so-called terrorists kidnapped by CIA are being tortured? Another major atrocity by the US. And in 1981 and 1982, the CIA gave financial support to prime minister Ramgoolam of Mauritius in order to bring him back to power during the general election. Is the American government allowed to finance those political parties or leaders that are favourable to its interests, in order to maintain the status quo in the Indian Ocean? What was the reaction of the US Congress on the issue? It's like asking whether a Mafia Don is ‘allowed' to carry out crimes, and how his underlings would react. Unfortunately, the world operates in accord with the maxim by Thucydides: the strong do as they wish, and the weak suffer as they must. During a speech in India in 2005, you said that nobody in the US knows about Diego Garcia and its dispossessed population, or anything that's happened on the island. Why is that? Americans have no idea about the whereabouts of Diego Garcia because they are simply not informed. The most expensive American military base overseas is virtually unknown in the US. What about Congress? The British obtained a substantial reduction of 14 million dollars on their purchase of American-made Polaris missiles in exchange for the island. Were they misled by the British that the islands were ‘uninhabited'? Those involved certainly knew the truth. I know of no records of any serious congressional concern. In fact, very little was ever reported. Isn't it time that the American people were informed? Efforts to inform them have been going on for years. I am the only one speaking and writing about it. The doctrinal barriers are hard to overcome. Ramchalaon is a Mauritian filmmaker based in The Netherlands. She wrote this interview for the Egyptian Mail.
