• The good, the bad and the ugly

    Alan Tidwell     |      May 19, 2024

    America’s Congress cannot play games with funding of initiatives in the Pacific. Nor can policymakers merely continue with existing and outdated programs. Too much is at stake.

  • Crime waves

    Virginia Comolli     |      May 16, 2024

    Economic diversification is exposing Pacific islands countries to new criminal threats, according to the latest report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

  • All’s not well with the Pacific mobility labour scheme

    Sarah Gosper     |      May 13, 2024

    As Australia seeks to press reset on its relationship with Pacific neighbours, centring the voice, rights, needs and priorities of Pacific countries regarding the PALM scheme will be crucial to maintaining stability and mutual respect in the region.

  • Buying friends and influencing people

    Teuku Riefky     |      April 18, 2024

    The Solomon Islands election will be watched closely by both Beijing and Washington, and test the success of China’s policy of buying political influence in the region.

  • Will China win the Solomon Islands election?

    Priestley Habru     |      April 17, 2024

    The overbearing economic, political and security influence of China will weigh heavily on the Solomon Islands election.

  • The last election?

    Anouk Ride     |      April 14, 2024

    Solomon Islanders are set to vote on 17 April in an election that has significance within and beyond the country’s borders due to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s increasingly authoritarian stance and backing from China.

  • Fighting crime in the Pacific

    Virginia Comolli     |      April 2, 2024

    Fighting transnational organised crime is critical to strengthening institutions in Pacific island countries and helping them build long-term sustainable prosperity.

  • Land of the unexpected

    James Chin     |      March 24, 2024

    Violence has escalated in Papua New Guinea over the last few months and Prime Minister James Marape’s hold on power looks tenuous.

  • Solomons under Sogavare

    Corey Lee Bell     |      February 28, 2024

    Solomon Islands has forged closer ties with Beijing under Manasseh Sogavare’s prime ministership, but though a Sogavare victory in the upcoming Solomon Islands elections will pose a continuing challenge for Australia’s Pacific Island engagement strategy, there are also opportunities.

  • Turmoil in PNG

    Michael Kabuni     |      February 22, 2024

    PNG has been riven by looting and political instability after police departed their posts due to salary deductions.

  • Leadership in the Pacific

    Graeme Dobell     |      February 21, 2024

    The South Pacific has strong societies but weak states, and the social traditions which hold them together are beginning to shift and fade, underlining the importance of better Australian leadership in the region.

  • Now with added fibre

    Sophie Hamel     |      February 6, 2024

    Internet connectivity is vital to the whole Indo-Pacific, and the Australian government sees investment in a more connected region as a means to foster both development and regional security.