-
-
20 Dec 2024
Trump’s relations with the Blue Pacific
The second Trump administration will find a region different from when last in office. -
19 Dec 2024
Vanuatu: The challenge to build back
A crippling earthquake will test Vanuatu’s already fragile political and economic system. -
18 Dec 2024
Votes of no confidence at a time of permanent contest: A Pacific Islands year in review
With so much global attention on the region, little shifts can have big ramifications. -
11 Dec 2024
Australia’s new chequebook diplomacy in the Pacific
The potential for a bidding war should be acknowledged. -
11 Dec 2024
An ounce of prevention: Nauru deal puts defence spending in a different light
Australia’s Nauru deal is a victory for preventive diplomacy, closing off any possibility of a Chinese security presence. -
10 Dec 2024
New treaty ties Nauru to Australia via banks, security and telecommunications
But the “permanent state of contest” in the Pacific appears set to continue. -
4 Dec 2024
“Narco-subs” in the Pacific demonstrates need for effective maritime security cooperation
Criminals are always looking for an edge. Listening to what the Pacific needs and coordinating maritime security responses will help blunt the threat. -
29 Nov 2024
Australia’s banking on the Pacific
Making money in the region is not easy. But links to international finance are essential. -
27 Nov 2024
The Pacific disinformation playbook
A surge in connectivity has exacerbated the region’s challenges, undermining trust in science and government. -
7 Nov 2024
Fake kidnaps and real dangers of disinformation in Pacific Islands
Islanders have long joked about “coconut wireless” storytelling – but more understanding of these networks is needed in the digital age. -
1 Nov 2024
An all-male Pacific peace mission to New Caledonia excludes women’s voices in the crisis
Women are being made invisible, yet their actions are consequential. -
30 Oct 2024
The Translator: What is "strategic infrastructure"?
Building lines of influence in the Pacific. -
29 Oct 2024
Pacific Islands need stronger corrections systems to address transnational and organised crime
Rehabilitation is too often a forgotten arena in regional efforts. -
28 Oct 2024
China’s language diplomacy in Papua New Guinea
Local Mandarin programs are gaining momentum as a tool to foster closer relations. -
23 Oct 2024
Biases within the capital flows to the Pacific
A pervasive power imbalance stops the small steps needed for better aid outcomes in the region. -
23 Oct 2024
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme is helping some workers but harming others – it needs to be reformed
Lopsided economic benefits are intimately linked to prevailing conditions of employment. -
21 Oct 2024
PNG’s NRL bid: Making the most of the high-stakes game
Accountability is not just a question for donors but for the recipient country, too. -
18 Oct 2024
Can Australia’s new Humanitarian Policy deliver?
The effort is laudable, and a step in the right direction, with more ambition and local engagement needed. -
17 Oct 2024
Samoa: The Switzerland of the Pacific
With CHOGM leaders about to touch down in Apia, the nation’s mandate for peace and non-violence will be on show. -
4 Oct 2024
Paris offers signs of hope for New Caledonia
Recent government statements represent a major conciliatory effort by France. -
2 Oct 2024
Kamala Harris and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Island countries want to hear more from the Democratic nominee about how she will support the region. -
20 Sep 2024
The days lost to PNG’s development and economy over votes of no confidence
Diminished parliamentary productivity has ramifications not only for the progress of legislation but the well-being of the nation. -
20 Sep 2024
Reducing the role of cash in Pacific Island economies
From QR codes to mobile wallets, innovative tech solutions can help the region transition its financial ecosystem. -
12 Sep 2024
The real risks of exploitation for Pacific workers in Australia
While neither blackbirding nor systemic modern slavery, the PALM scheme has many loopholes that should be addressed. -
10 Sep 2024
Beijing’s "one-China principle" is spreading
It is untrue that Taiwan is an "inalienable part" of China, but that's not stopping governments from Kiribati to Honduras from saying it. -
6 Sep 2024
Tonga and His Majesty’s Armed Forces: A military made for peace
This Pacific country avoided colonisation not by force, but by adopting the trappings of state. A next step awaits. -
30 Aug 2024
Long-range leaders in Melanesia: Why you need to know about them
Carefully mixing metaphors helps to understand a crucial yet underappreciated actor in Pacific politics. -
28 Aug 2024
The Falepili Union: A Pacific response to the greatest global challenges
A world-first treaty with Australia ensures Tuvalu’s statehood will continue, even in the face of a climate catastrophe. -
26 Aug 2024
The down-low on deportations and drugs in Tonga
The practice by Australia of sending criminals back to their home country can pose a risk to regional security without the proper reintegration support. -
21 Aug 2024
Australia takes a big first step to engage civil society in foreign policy
With a new multi-million dollar fund, Canberra underscores the importance of robust and transparent democracy. -
21 Aug 2024
Polycrisis in the Pacific: How leaders will respond at the PIF Summit in Tonga
A tiny capital will be host to a huge regional agenda. -
13 Aug 2024
Where to for Australia’s First Nations Foreign Policy?
The climate is right to make environmental diplomacy a centrepiece of this new approach to the world. -
8 Aug 2024
Economic diplomacy: Banking on the Pacific
Rebuilding regional banking is unlikely to pay dividends without an underlying business revival. -
7 Aug 2024
Looking back at the Biden administration’s Pacific strategy
Big promises haven’t always been backed up by delivery. But the main question is about enduring attention. -
30 Jul 2024
Gender equality, the Pacific way
“Using culture to change culture” is how to make real progress in addressing a longstanding regional challenge. -
29 Jul 2024
The unheard potential of moderate voices in New Caledonia’s crisis
Hope for a “common destiny” is not yet lost despite the violent unrest and hardening views. -
16 Jul 2024
The role for Pacific media in charting a pragmatic global outlook
Journalism from the region is essential in shaping views of the region. -
11 Jul 2024
A surprising litmus test for New Caledonia’s independence parties
The French election saw New Caledonia’s independence parties attain an overall majority in the first territory-wide poll since the 2018–21 referendums. -
26 Jun 2024
New Caledonia: France’s way or the Pacific way?
Legal, yes. Constructive? A pattern is emerging. -
24 Jun 2024
Fragmented and burdensome: Small European donors are clogging Pacific aid channels
Competition, political self-interest, and poor coordination are overburdening the region’s administrations. -
19 Jun 2024
Is a new Australian police program what the Pacific needs?
Engagement on policing is crucial, but it must be regionally led. -
12 Jun 2024
France’s legislative elections and complications for New Caledonia
There is only hope, however vain, that this move may provide space for calm reassessment of positions. -
3 Jun 2024
Australians watching Pacific with concern and care
Chinese influence and Pacific migration pathways are on Australian minds this year, according to latest Lowy Institute Poll. -
31 May 2024
Fiji: Positioning and posturing on politicians pay
Drawing on past experience and that of neighbouring countries, MPs and ministers should not be determining their own salaries. -
28 May 2024
A portrait of a climate champion: Who is Enele Sopoaga?
The Pacific leader is giving voice to the plight of the region and posing a direct challenge to Australia’s environmental diplomacy. -
27 May 2024
Next steps for New Caledonia in the wake of Macron’s proposals
A flying visit by the French president to the Pacific territory leaves a long road ahead. -
14 May 2024
Violence erupts in New Caledonia as independence supporters oppose legislation in Paris
Macron’s plan has backfired. But there can be no sustainable solution without cooperation of all parties. -
7 May 2024
PNG-China: What’s to gain in any policing deal?
It seems we’ll be hearing more about this prospective arrangement. -
3 May 2024
Can Solomon Islands’ new prime minister really be friends to all?
The success of the PM’s premiership will depend on his approach to pressing domestic problems as much as issues of national sovereignty.