The Road to Chagos: An Analysis of Mauritius' Foreign Policy.

Abstract

The International Court of Justice case between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius over the detachment of the Chagos Archipelago in 1965 establishes that the deconstruction of postcolonial legacies is an ongoing process. The underdevelopment of studies regarding the historiography of Mauritius’ policy towards Chagos also reveals that traditional international relations theories are insufficient in examining this case. This thesis addresses this gap by exploring the extent to which ‘islandness’ can sufficiently explain the change of Mauritius’ foreign policy regarding Chagos between 1976 and 1980. This research prompts the question of how Mauritius’ identity as an island influences its development as a state. The field of Island Studies argues that the particular history and geography of islands naturally produces certain forms of organisation which impact state behaviour, thus culminating in the concept of ‘islandness’. This thesis assesses the applicability of ‘islandness’ in examining the foreign policy of islands and proposes the integration of the English School’s concept of ‘international society’ into the Island Studies framework. Mauritius is used as a case study in the application of this modified theoretical framework by analysing Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam’s explanation of Mauritius’ foreign policy in interviews and speeches in the United Nations. This thesis concludes that Ramgoolam’s language and framing choice demonstrate the influence of islandness alongside an international society and the presence of islander agency.