2 Aug 2023
Can PNG afford more debt?
Betting on the potential of future resource wealth has proved a risky strategy. History holds valuable economic lessons.
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31 Jul 2023
A call for medical détente in the Pacific Islands
Pooling the expertise and resources of development partners is a win not only for regional healthcare but soft diplomacy. -
28 Jul 2023
Solomon Islands: Invest in people and police before military
Australia and foreign partners should work with existing institutions. A new military capability could make matters worse. -
13 Jul 2023
Samoa and the Alliance of Small Islands States show climate security is also about loss and damage
Adaptation and mitigation strategies alone will not be enough to recover from the effects of climate change. -
10 Jul 2023
Military hospital ships from China and the US are plying across Pacific Islands. But this growing competition can do more harm than good
Large white hulled ships are big public relations yet do little to address significant health system issues in the region. -
30 Jun 2023
The looming fate of Fukushima’s contaminated water
Environmental concerns in the Pacific also come with political risks for Japan’s prime minister. -
23 Jun 2023
Bracing for 3000 Pacific Engagement Visas
Australia’s new permanent resident scheme must prioritise the people of the Blue Pacific who will be most impacted. -
22 Jun 2023
Lowy Poll 2023: Australians still jittery about China in the Pacific
Just like Pacific nations themselves, the public are waiting to see pledges by new government translated into outcomes. -
11 May 2023
The disproportionate attention on the Solomons-China security pact
A tendency to “securitise” problems via a geopolitical lens only downplays legitimate aspirations of local communities. -
4 May 2023
The cost of crime and corruption on Pacific fisheries
The need for a well-funded response to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing has never been greater. -
4 May 2023
The case for opening the ADF to citizens of Pacific Islands nations
The potential benefits in a contested region extend far beyond a military need. -
27 Apr 2023
Bringing the Blue Pacific and Indo-Pacific narratives together
More than a distraction, geopolitical competition shapes the regional security agenda – and that carries opportunity. -
20 Apr 2023
Questions about Australian aid to fund the Pacific Games
Australia is backing a sports tournament over urgent development needs, and doing so may break international aid rules. -
18 Apr 2023
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. -
14 Apr 2023
A strategy for engaging for small developing states
If Australia is serious about climate change, it needs better relationships with island nations – near and far. -
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. -
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.