Trump’s Pacific folly

USAID cuts and tariffs will harm the United States’ reputation in the Pacific more than they will harm the region itself.

Australia can take USAID’s place in the Pacific islands

The shutdown of USAID has been an enormous hit to US soft power and its ability to counter China in the Pacific but the worst outcomes can be avoided through the intervention of Australia and its allies.

The future of Australian foreign aid

Australia’s Federal budget has maintained its foreign aid spending, unlike the USA and the UK, but the future remains precarious.

Cold war in warm waters

As Australia prepares for a national election in May, China’s Pacific ambitions are again making headlines.

The Pacific water shortage

Hydrology experts at Flinders University are calling for urgent investigations into the operation of bore-fields that access fresh groundwater on Pacific islands, including Kiribati, where rising sea levels are already putting local water supplies at risk.

Propaganda in the Pacific

Disinformation from hostile foreign states aims to influence opinions foreign policy in the Pacific, and there are signs it is working.

Protecting gender equality

Women’s rights and protections are regressing on the international stage, from the Taliban’s erasure of women from public life to US President Donald Trump’s misogynistic rhetoric and decision to suspend USAID, and Australia should play its part in protecting women’s interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The Pacific, fishing, and regional security

Fishing remains core to Pacific security, yet, like climate change, its importance is often overlooked or has become subject to geopolitical tensions. If Australia wants to continue its good security relations with the Pacific, it must take the sustainability of fishing seriously.

Saving the sea

Australia can uphold the rules-based order of the law of the sea and enhance the ecological security of our oceans by investing in key UN institutional mechanisms to ensure a more sustainable and secure Indo-Pacific region.

Safeguarding Pacific tuna

A transformative US$107 million grant has been secured by Conservation International and the Pacific Community to support 14 Pacific Island countries to safeguard the economic and social benefits they receive from tuna against the impacts of climate change.

Boosting Pacific cyber-security

Australia needs to gather like-minded partners, such as Japan, France and India, to coordinate investment in Pacific cybersecurity and ensure the region is equipped with the necessary tools and expertise to counter the growing sophistication of cyber adversaries.

Debt and democracy in the Solomon Islands

Political strife, corruption and a fast-growing population mean a rocky road may lie ahead for the Solomon Islands.