In 2024, the United Kingdom agreed to possibly one of the worst real estate deals in recorded history. It agreed to give Mauritius, a small country in the Indian Ocean, ownership of the Chagos Islands, home to the Anglo-American military base in Diego Garcia. In exchange, the U.K., which has owned the islands for more than 200 years, will pay Mauritius almost £34 billion over the next 99 years to rent Diego Garcia.

The windfall is such for Mauritius that 81% of its people will soon stop paying income tax. Worst yet, the United States, which has a clear interest in securing the future of the base at Diego Garcia, has given its blessing to the deal, despite the fact that it could fatally compromise the military use of the Chagos Islands.