The Pacific can be more than a ‘nursery’ for Australian exporters

The Pacific Islands are a strategic playing field for Australian exporters before expanding to Asia and beyond, but Australian policymakers should also respect the economic independence of Pacific nations, according to UNSW expert Tim Harcourt.

Solomon Islands elections – Continuity, with change or vice versa?

Solomon Islands has held its first general election since the end of the regional assistance mission in 2017. Although it is too early to determine the full extent of the conduct and integrity of the elections, they were peaceful and there have been some notable electoral reforms.

Innovation and leadership in Pacific business

Rosie Ah Yen-Curry recounts her positive experience at the recent dialogue for female entrepreneurs in the Pacific held in Brisbane by the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships.

As Australia’s soft power in the Pacific fades, China’s voice gets louder

Australia’s soft power is too important to be determined by vengeful payback to the ABC, or by currying favour with commercial television barons. It is about statecraft, as the influence and power of China grows.

Imagining Australia’s South Pacific family

What is needed for Australia to step up engagement in the Pacific island region is a sure-footed approach that is based on a firm footing of mutual respect and partnership.

A better way to stay connected with the South Pacific

DFAT’s new Office of the Pacific is being established to provide whole-of-government coordination, and is inviting secondments from the nation’s defence and security agencies. Hopefully, it will also reach out more widely to develop a meaningful communication strategy for Pacific engagement.

Juggling competing Pacific narratives

Two narratives dominated geopolitical discussions of the Pacific islands in 2018 – that of the Blue Pacific and the Indo-Pacific – but what does the future hold?

A turbulent year in Pacific politics

After decades of neglect, the Pacific region has been ‘rediscovered’ by strategists in Australia, the United States and elsewhere as the military threat and economic reality of China continues to grow.

The ICDP year in review

The International Centre for Democratic Partnerships runs the Australian Government’s ‘Pacific Connect’ program to build closer relationships with emerging leaders in the Pacific. Its programme coordinator, Tina Briggs, reflects on its first full year of operations.

The SMART way to help Pacific Islands lead climate action

The new SMART tool helps policymakers quickly identify potential co-benefits and trade-offs that need to be considered in planning to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change in the Pacific region.

The new era of great-power competition in the Pacific

The first strategic priority for Australia in the Indo-Pacific is to manage great-power competition. And the central trend of that competition is China’s rapidly growing challenge to US dominance.

The purposes of the Pacific pivot

A ‘Pacific pivot’ that can marry Australia’s strategic needs with the fundamental needs of Pacific peoples will be a policy which benefits all stakeholders and so ensure enduring results.