Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia

(Paperback, Revised edition)

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Description

Reveals the truth of how the United States conspired with Britain to forcibly expel Diego Garcia's indigenous people - the Chagossians - and deport them to slums in Mauritius and the Seychelles, where most live in dire poverty. This title chronicles the Chagossians' story as they struggle to survive in exile and fight to return to their homeland.

Reviews

"[A] meticulously researched, coldly furious book that details precisely how London and Washington colluded in a scheme of population removal more redolent of the eighteenth or nineteenth century than the closing decades of the twentieth... [O]ne likes to think that if Barack Obama were somehow to stumble across a copy of David Vine's fine book, he would instantly realize that a great injustice has been done--one that could easily be put right."--Jonathan Freedland, New York Review of Books "This angry and angering book is well researched, compelling, and valuable to understanding and emerging US 'empire.'"--Choice "For Vine imperialism, military prerogative and racism have all combined to deny a people a home simply because they were in the way. His succinct style and controlled outrage make for a damning indictment."--Phil Chamberlain, Tribune "Island of Shame is not just a gut-wrenching account of how a tropical paradise of powder-white beaches and palm fronds was turned into a massive launch pad for America's military expansionist programme. A large chunk of the book is devoted to how the Chagossians came to build their complex but happy society in the islands and the resulting tragedy of their displacement. Above all, Vine is a top flight researcher... We owe Vine a great debt for shining his light on this island of horrors."--Latha Jishnu, Business Standard "David Vine's story of the Chagossians is an exemplary piece of both socially embedded reportage and investigative journalism, despite a tendency to indulge in the self-conscious idiom of academic ethnography and reflexive criticism of US 'imperialism.' At heart, however, he speaks truth to power. Power, though, is not listening."--Colin Murphy, Irish Times "David Vine ... has rendered high service by writing a thoroughly documented expose of the crime, which the world has ignored because one of its perpetrators is a superpower, the U.S., and its accomplice, the U.K."--A. G. Noorani, Frontline "Vine's important and timely book sheds welcome light on this dark chapter of U.S. military history, questioning the way our military operates and its impact on civilian populations."--Katherine McCaffrey, American Anthropologist

Author Bio

David Vine is assistant professor of anthropology at American University in Washington, D.C.