Maldives Foreign Minister Visits Washington

Facts

• The foreign minister of the Maldives, Moosa Zameer, met with US Sec. of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday in a bid to strengthen ties between the US and the strategically important Indo-Pacific archipelago.¹
• US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US reaffirmed a commitment to send eight patrol boats to the country and a planned $2M in aid to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels. Other issues addressed include maritime security and climate change.²
• This comes after Congress reportedly contemplated a bill that would withhold aid to the Maldives in response to its plans to ban holders of Israeli passports from visiting in protest of Israel's war in Gaza.³
• Malé, however, has since tabled the plan over concerns that a blanket ban would also affect Israeli passport-holding Palestinians.⁴
• The Maldives, a close ally of US-aligned India, has shifted its favor to China in recent years, with newly elected president Mohamed Muizzu running on a pro-China platform. Chinese banks own 20% of the country's public debt.⁵
• The US opened its first embassy in the Maldives in 2023. Blinken called the Maldives 'an important partner,' and Zameer, in turn, expressed gratitude and called their relationship with the US 'fruitful.'¹

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²State, ³Axios, ⁴Jerusalem Post and ⁵Council on Foreign Relations.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Council on Foreign Relations. The Maldives knows it's in its best interest to stand with the US, India, and other democratic countries and resist the siren song of Chinese debt and investment. The anti-India attitude in the country is mostly due to sympathy with the country's Muslim minority and less about their rational self-interest. India and Washington have stepped up to show that prosperity runs through the free world and not around it.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Global Times. The US is attempting to shore up India's dominion over its smaller neighbors as the Maldives moves to throw off the yoke of Indian subordination and assert itself on the world stage. In this struggle for a better deal, China has presented itself as a reliable partner that demands none of the imperial concessions of the so-called 'free world.' The West must either step up or step out of the way of a developing nation's progress.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Breitbart. It is curious that the US supposedly did not address the country's attempted Israel ban once during their meetings, showing a disturbing willingness to placate antisemitic nations and tacitly condone their actions. While members of Congress are stepping up, the Biden administration isn't, as the State Department chillingly doesn't confront their anti-Israel animus.