11 Apr 2023
France tightens the screws in New Caledonia
Pro-independence leaders believe time is on their side, but the French government sees little room for compromise.
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31 Mar 2023
Climate change: We know what to do, the Pacific needs us to act, now
Pacific Island nations are taking legal action as the latest IPCC report reveals things are still getting worse. -
30 Mar 2023
Fiji: lessons under a dictator’s heel
Laisenia Qarase’s prison memoir after he was deposed in a coup tells a national story to cherish freedoms. -
23 Mar 2023
Papua New Guinea: media under threat
A new draft government policy is set to put journalistic freedoms to the test. -
20 Mar 2023
AUKUS in the Pacific: Calm with undercurrents
Pacific neighbours understand the drivers behind Australia’s bid for nuclear-powered subs, but still harbour concerns. -
8 Mar 2023
“Amplify their voice”: Promoting gender equity in Asia and the Pacific
The regional head of UN Women has a simple but crucial message on this International Women’s Day. -
27 Feb 2023
Answers needed on the Pacific Engagement Visa
Beyond practicalities, it’s unclear whether this is a genuine “Pacific family” partnership or geopolitical convenience? -
30 Jan 2023
Getting it together: Pacific engagement still lacks coordination
Showing collective action across countries and sectors is essential to Pacific development and winning friends. -
25 Jan 2023
Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing
With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up. -
19 Jan 2023
Weaving webs of statecraft in the Pacific Islands
Gaining influence in the region is about tools and techniques, not just the actors. -
19 Jan 2023
The acid test: legal moves to force action on climate change
Small island states are now adopting a determined strategy of “lawfare” to bring attention to environmental threats. -
27 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Solomon Islands strikes a deal
Honiara’s foreign policy caused ripples across the region, as we round up highlights of the year from The Interpreter. -
20 Dec 2022
Fiji’s coalition of convenience: what’s next?
A focus on recovery from the pandemic makes international support essential, whichever coalition forms government. -
16 Dec 2022
A changing aid landscape in the Pacific
Budget support was favoured during the pandemic, with loans — which must be repaid — also overtaking grants. -
25 Nov 2022
Riots serve an unexpected lesson in the Pacific
A new report on civil unrest in the region calls for a longer and wider lens in analysing reasons and rationales. -
21 Nov 2022
Will the new US Congress still pay for its Pacific promises?
The Biden administration has staked $810 million on a regional strategy and now must ensure bipartisan support. -
18 Nov 2022
Strengthening disaster resilience in the Pacific
The aftermath of Tonga’s massive volcanic eruption holds valuable lessons as climate change risks also grow. -
9 Nov 2022
An explanation for the decline of China’s aid in the Pacific
A drop in Chinese funding may be a sign of belt tightening in an effort to tackle Beijing’s own domestic debt problem. -
31 Oct 2022
China’s influence as a Pacific donor
Beijing has taken steps to increase its influence in the island region at the same time as its aid levels decline. -
21 Oct 2022
Waiting for the thaw: the Pacific hopeful on Australia-China reset
The island countries stand to benefit from any improvement in relations between two big development partners. -
11 Oct 2022
The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?
A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer. -
10 Oct 2022
Australia and Pacific Islands: Polls apart?
Without a comprehensive public opinion survey of Pacific people, common attitudes can be challenging to identify. -
3 Oct 2022
“See it through my lens”: the optics of fashion diplomacy
Sunglasses are a staple in the US President’s diplomatic style but not every leader can share the benefit. -
27 Sep 2022
The president vs the judge: How Kiribati came to a constitutional standoff
Judicial independence and access to justice is at risk as judges face deportation and suspension from office. -
13 Sep 2022
Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters
Sovereignty, trust and mutual benefit are all at stake when so many regions come together under the Indo-Pacific banner. -
8 Sep 2022
Economic diplomacy: Nation building at home and abroad
A jobs summit highlighted the challenges in crafting a foreign policy for the middle class and balanced development aid. -
20 Aug 2022
Next steps for American engagement with the Pacific Islands
Stronger local ties will help the United States play catch-up in its quest to effectively compete with China. -
16 Aug 2022
Wrong balance of power in Pacific
New Zealand can bolster the international rules-based order by working towards Pacific women’s political representation. -
28 Jul 2022
Economic diplomacy: The Pacific reset needs real commercial investment
The language of geopolitics is trickling down to unexpected corners of the economy with wide-ranging long-term impact. -
27 Jul 2022
What happened at the Pacific Islands Forum
A historic hugs and dialling-down regional rivalries. How a week of Pacific diplomacy unfolded. -
27 Jul 2022
Economic diplomacy: The Pacific beats ASEAN for nervous investors
Abe Shinzo’s passing and the Timor oil spy case dismissal reveal new thinking about what national security means. -
26 Jul 2022
Support Pacific neighbours by strengthening indigenous food systems
Unique knowledge was usurped by colonialism and imported production. Time to build resilience, from the shore up. -
26 Jul 2022
Pacific Islands Forum meeting: the black cloud returns
A continued dispute over the Secretary General position has challenged unity of the Pacific family. -
25 Jul 2022
Engaging with the Pacific: the legal angle
The often complex and transnational legal challenges facing the region are an opportunity to foster cooperation. -
30 Jun 2022
Economic diplomacy: Names trump numbers in the new BRI debt battle
As G7 leaders talk up infrastructure spending, Australia’s Pacific family members contemplate how much they can take. -
10 Jun 2022
Penny Wong dives deep into the audacity of the Oceanic Pacific
Nurturing relationships is paramount to break down unequal power dynamics – especially in working for women rights. -
3 Jun 2022
Labor should create a “Regional Carbon Bank” for ASEAN and the Pacific
An urgent demand for clean electricity infrastructure requires needs a dedicated, multilateral agency in support. -
1 Jun 2022
Competing with China in the Pacific will backfire
Co-operation, not competition, provides the best chance for Australia to enhance ties with Pacific Island countries. -
1 Jun 2022
Water torture: Asia‑Pacific’s “WASH” crisis in need of solutions
Access to clean water is not only a development challenge but one for geopolitics, too. -
1 Jun 2022
Don’t saddle Pacific Islands with disaster debt
It would be immoral for high-emitting countries to put an extra burden on nations suffering more extreme weather events. -
30 May 2022
Would China? Australia’s chance to back women police in the Pacific
Promoting gender equality and enhancing maritime law enforcement will ensure Australia stands apart. -
30 May 2022
Australia can’t stay silent on decolonisation in the Pacific
As Canberra and Paris repair ties, presenting France as a “Pacific country” would undermine regional independence. -
27 May 2022
Labor’s Pacific plan: ticking the economic box
Tightening up on fees charged for remittances will ensure millions of dollars get to households across the region. -
25 May 2022
Pacific youth: challenges today need the leaders of tomorrow
On climate, geopolitics, recovering from pandemic, and more – it’s vital to engage youth populations across the region. -
11 May 2022
Resetting Australia’s relationship with the Pacific – three ideas
Listen, for a start. Getting down to granular, person-to-person engagement is needed for effective regional diplomacy. -
10 May 2022
Chinese bases in the Pacific: A reality check
Frustrating Beijing’s ambitions to create a sphere of influence is overwhelmingly a diplomatic task, not a military one. -
7 Apr 2022
Economic diplomacy: Priorities shift amid a budget aid boost
The IMF has given Chinese spending a tick as Australia tries to muscle up in the Pacific. -
29 Mar 2022
Changing our view of Pacific visas
Australia’s claims to be part of the “Pacific family” would be helped by more migration options – especially for women. -
23 Mar 2022
Pacific nations send a message on Ukraine – and great power rivalries
Pacific states are watching Ukraine because their sovereignty and territorial integrity can also easily be violated. -
24 Feb 2022
Micronesia stays in the Pacific Islands Forum fold – for now
But Australia faces its own test amid tensions over leadership of the regional grouping.