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  • 29 Jan 2021
    • Pacific Islands

    Islands apart: Competing campaigns risk Pacific consensus for top job

    Jonathan Pryke
    The race for the next Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General spurs unprecedented competition and regional friction.
  • 19 Jan 2021
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States
    • Australia
    • India
    • Japan

    Australia’s Pacific Step-up and the Quad

    Eerishika Pankaj
    The four nations should take the chance to draw together a group of common initiatives in the Pacific islands region.
  • 22 Dec 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Technology

    The modern sharing of Pacific “public goods”

    Stuart Minchin
    A repository for regional data not only preserves the lessons of the past, but will shape a better future, too.
  • 16 Dec 2020
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus
    • Pacific Islands

    Avoiding a “lost decade” in the Pacific

    Roland Rajah , Alexandre Dayant
    Remoteness has helped the Pacific mitigate the worst health risks in the pandemic – but not the severe economic costs.
  • 10 Dec 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Sustainability

    Favourites of 2020: Casting a line in Pacific fisheries

    Jonathan Pryke
    The feel-good story of eight apparently vulnerable Pacific nations up against every major fishing economy in the world.
  • 1 Dec 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Australia
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • United Kingdom

    The UK’s unwelcome foreign aid cut

    Philip Citowicki
    Amid a pandemic and shifting geopolitics, the aid budget was a victim of its own size – and domestic pressures.
  • 6 Nov 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Next steps in advocating for the Pacific Islands Forum

    Alan C. Tidwell
    The island nations must get out to “sell a story and ideas” in Washington, and beyond.
  • 27 Oct 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Climate change

    Preparing for when climate change drives people from their homes

    Jonathan Pryke , Jane McAdam
    Combating Covid in the Pacific is hard enough. Add cyclones, droughts and flooding to the mix, the time to act is now.
  • 16 Oct 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Melanesia
    • Indonesia
    • Vanuatu

    Keeping West Papua on the agenda

    Dan McGarry
    During Covid, the independence campaign could have been forgotten. But a new generation of activists is forging ahead.
  • 8 Oct 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Health spending and foreign aid in the Pacific

    Jonathan Pryke , Alexandre Dayant , Tahi Izumi
    The newest Pacific Aid Map, with nearly a decade of project-level data for the region, helps shine a light on health.
  • 29 Sep 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia

    Evaluating aid in the Pacific

    Jonathan Pryke , Aidan Myatt
    A common rating system could make aid evaluation less opaque. Better yet, it could deliver more bang for precious bucks.
  • 9 Sep 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • China's Economy
    • Chinese Trade
    • China
    • Sri Lanka
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative

    Debunking the myth of China’s “debt-trap diplomacy”

    Shahar Hameiri
    Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence.
  • 27 Aug 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia

    Australia needs the workers, the Pacific needs the jobs

    Grant Wyeth
    Striking the right balance between backpackers and the seasonal workers is key to Canberra’s neighbourhood ambition.
  • 5 Aug 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • The Asia Pacific's Economies
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Coronavirus

    The way to post-Covid recovery in the Indo-Pacific? Act now

    Roland Rajah
    If Australia wants to see future stability in the region, it needs to find ways to help today, not down the track.
  • 30 Jul 2020
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Pacific islands: The cost to tomorrow of the crisis today

    Catherine Wilson
    The brunt of the Covid-19 recession will be borne by developing nations, where youth populations are dominant.
  • 30 Jun 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • United Nations

    Chequebook diplomacy in the Pacific: Not just the big fish

    Alexandre Dayant , Euan Moyle
    Small donors seeking UN Security Council seats are providing more aid to Pacific nations.
  • 23 Jun 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Institutions
    • Human rights

    Culture, constitution and controversy in Samoa

    Penelope Schoeffel , Malama Meleisea
    What’s behind the proposed bills to codify Samoan customs in law?
  • 18 Jun 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Hard knocks at University of the South Pacific

    Jonathan Pryke
    Claims and counter-claims of corruption have cast a pall over the management of a key regional institution.
  • 4 Jun 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Aiding the Pacific during Covid – a stock-take and further steps

    Alexandre Dayant , Roland Rajah
    Money is flowing, but the proportion of support is well below amounts advanced economies are deploying for themselves.
  • 29 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast: Dame Meg Taylor on keeping Pacific Islands safe

    Jonathan Pryke , Dame Meg Taylor
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world.
  • 28 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Can Pacific airlines pull out of the dive?

    Jonathan Pryke
    National carriers, many already struggling, have been hit hard in the Covid-19 crisis and will need to adapt to survive.
  • 20 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Human rights

    West Papua: Looking for an opening

    Johnny Blades
    Allowing more access would be an important first step to ending human rights abuses in the troubled Indonesian province.
  • 15 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast Episode 11: Dave Sharma MP on COVID-19 and Pacific relations

    Jonathan Pryke , Dave Sharma
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world.
  • 8 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights

    Samoa’s constitutional crisis: Undermining rule of law

    Fiona Ey
    Amid the Covid-19 emergency, a set of legal amendments threatens judicial independence and human rights.
  • 7 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Creating a Pacific bubble

    Joe Rafalowicz
    Australia’s special ties with Pacific Islands and New Zealand offer a chance to ensure mutual safety and prosperity.
  • 6 May 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States
    • The Trump Presidency

    Discontinued: America’s Continuous Bomber Presence

    Peter Layton
    Ending a long-standing program, the US shows its commitment to defending friends in the Western Pacific is on the wane.
  • 5 May 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Debating constitutional change in Samoa

    Anna Dziedzic
    Critics claim Covid-19 is used as a cover, but proposed changes to raise the status of custom have a long history.
  • 30 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Climate change
    • Coronavirus

    Winds of change: Rethinking disaster relief after Cyclone Harold

    Meg Keen , David Sanderson
    Local response teams and demand-driven solutions are key to climate change aid in the Pacific.
  • 23 Apr 2020
    • Australia in the World
    • Pacific Islands
    • United States
    • Trade
    • China
    • Japan

    Statesman Turnbull steps up: Secret letters, taming Trump, due credit

    Greg Earl
    Business with Donald, shared history with Xi and a Pacific ploy are revealing of the former PM’s foreign ambition.
  • 20 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Coronavirus

    Australia needs a comprehensive plan for Covid-19 in the Pacific

    Pat Conroy
    A region of great power rivalry and critical to Australia’s physical security ­– that gave help when we needed it, too.
  • 16 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    How much is too much? Covid loans for the Pacific

    Alexandre Dayant , Roland Rajah
    Not all regional nations are overloaded by debt. There is some scope to lend sustainably.
  • 15 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19 and Pacific labour

    Murray Ackman , Tautalaaso Taulealo
    Visa extensions keep an essential financial lifeline open – but the challenge to help seasonal workers has only begun.
  • 3 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19: Averting economic disaster in the Pacific

    Jonathan Pryke
    Australia should urgently switch is infrastructure lending facility to a broader fund to help keep the region solvent.
  • 3 Apr 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    COVIDcast Episode 5: Pandemic in the Pacific

    Alex Oliver , Jonathan Pryke , Shane McLeod
    The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world.
  • 27 Mar 2020
    • Asia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    No planes or cruise ships – a crucial regional industry will need aid

    Amanda Robbins , Rachel Mason Nunn
    Tourism is a massive employer in countries where Australia gives aid and will need a lot of extra help after the virus.
  • 16 Mar 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Anticipating Covid‑19 in the Pacific

    Jonathan Pryke , Alexandre Dayant
    While Australia prepares its domestic interventions, it needs to spare some thought for the Pacific as well.
  • 4 Mar 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Covid-19 precautions take hold, Ardern in Fiji, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 27 Feb 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands

    Economic diplomacy: Mahathir’s APEC gamble, and aid corruption

    Greg Earl
    When is a loan not a loan, and should Australia really be propping up neighbours with a cash injection?
  • 19 Feb 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: aid value, PNG’s Exxon woes, and nuclear compensation

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from across the Pacific Islands region.
  • 7 Feb 2020
    • Pacific Islands
    • The Asia Pacific's Economies
    • United Kingdom

    Brexit and the Pacific: Sink or swim?

    Alexandre Dayant
    Growing UK presence in the Pacific Islands aims to boost prosperity, but a range of factors could tip the balance.
  • 5 Feb 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Coronavirus consequences, climate costs, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 22 Jan 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: China’s “common interests”, bushfire relief, more

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 21 Jan 2020
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific development outlook for 2020

    Alexandre Dayant
    Following on last year’s growth, the region will continue to see both challenges and cause for optimism.
  • 8 Jan 2020
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: A regional step-up for Australia’s bushfire recovery

    Alexandre Dayant
    Links and stories from across the Pacific Islands region.
  • 20 Dec 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Chinese Foreign Aid
    • Australia
    • China

    Little to gain from linking Australia’s aid with China in the Pacific

    Michael Fullilove , Jonathan Pryke
    Canberra is the biggest donor in the neighbourhood and has regional goals very different from Beijing.
  • 13 Dec 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • China

    Pacifying Australia-China relations

    Melissa Conley Tyler
    Cooperation in the Pacific Islands would be valuable precisely because it is difficult.
  • 3 Dec 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Rules Based Audio

    Renting influence: China in the Pacific

    Kelsey Munro
    In Episode 15 of the Rules Based Audio podcast, we explore China’s interests, influence and intentions in the Pacific.
  • 27 Nov 2019
    • Pacific Islands

    Pacific links: Bougainville votes, royal region, let them eat cake

    Alexandre Dayant
    How much for a baguette in French Polynesia? Plus more stories from the Pacific Islands region.
  • 25 Nov 2019
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • Pakistan

    Stepping up in the Pacific at the expense of Pakistani women and girls

    Stephen Howes
    Cutting aid has a cost – and Australia should be embarrassed to take aid from other countries to give it to the Pacific.
  • 21 Nov 2019
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australian Foreign Aid

    Economic diplomacy: Australia’s BRI, aid revamp, and integrating Asia

    Greg Earl
    The now snappily rebranded Export Finance Australia is becoming the go-to agency in the era of geo-economic competition.
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