Indian Ocean .. We need a Treaty

Moscow News - News - Silvio Berlusconi: Russia should join EU: "Russian warship en route for anti-piracy mission off Somalia
15:02 26/10/2008 |A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet arrived at the port of Aden in Yemen on its way to join an international naval group fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia, the Russian Navy said."

Since Britain ledt Diego Garcia to the uS, the sole naval power in the Indian Ocean has been the USA.. This no longer makes strategic or economic sense. Strategically, the real danger is Iran or Pakistan taking a sizable naval role. This would require responses by India and Daudi Arabia and perhaqps even by some African states .. the latter via new alliance. OTOH, for the forseeable future, the health of China and Europe ride on a peaceful Indian Ocean.

The obvious answer is some sort of new treaty or even a UN naval force, relieving the US of a burden that does not serve us and averting the complications inherent in local naval conflicts.

The uSwouyd lostr little in such an arrangement. China and India have no reason to obstruct our use of the Indian Oceanh to project power and actually might then have an incentive to join us.