Patrick Kaiku
Biography
Publications
Patrick Kaiku is a teaching fellow in the Political Science Department at the University of Papua New Guinea. He has been teaching at the UPNG since 2011 after completing a MA in Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in 2010. He was also a Griffith Asia Institute Non-resident Fellow in 2022. He can be reached on LinkedIn.
![Why did PNG sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the US?](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/2023-12/34183807205_7c27826b19_k.jpg?itok=KmHggjcf)
Why did PNG sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the US?
For Port Moresby, this deal is mainly about modernising PNG’s Defence Force – not a geopolitical ploy.
![A Pacific “zone of peace” – what will it entail?](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/2023-11/GettyImages-1410609345.jpg?itok=jOTy_cIH)
A Pacific “zone of peace” – what will it entail?
An effort is underway to ensure Pacific concepts are not co-opted by geopolitical competition.
![Not the Indo-Pacific: a Melanesian view on strategic competition](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/2023-04/Fiji%20Island%20comp.jpg?itok=2xscKEKA)
Not the Indo-Pacific: a Melanesian view on strategic competition
The states of the southwest Pacific are not interested in a zero-sum contest between the United States and China.
![The missing foreign policy debate in PNG’s 2022 elections](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/2022-09/GettyImages-1242398696.jpg?itok=SmawfLXb)
The missing foreign policy debate in PNG’s 2022 elections
Limited knowledge and paucity of interest is a concern, not just for local accountability but also for other countries.
![PNG and the Solomon Islands-China security agreement](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/20190326__NZDF_R1055669_002.jpg?itok=HZ7-Ibat)
PNG and the Solomon Islands-China security agreement
While respecting Solomon Islands sovereignty, regional solutions to regional problems are not yet fully exhausted.
![Pacific nations send a message on Ukraine – and great power rivalries](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/UN7868079_bb4_.jpg?itok=VMhak82F)
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.
![Showcasing PNG, beyond expos and summits](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/PNG%20flag.jpg?itok=Eo7nKtiX)
Showcasing PNG, beyond expos and summits
A lack of strategic diplomacy and targeted foreign policy are selling the country’s immense potential short.
![Refreshing American soft power in the Pacific Islands](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/5804689369_b1e4289e51_o.jpg?itok=JvvUoPsP)
Refreshing American soft power in the Pacific Islands
Tales of past wars no longer resonate. The US has better stories to tell, not least of its own stumbles with democracy.