The last election?

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

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

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

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

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

Leadership in the Pacific

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

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.

Australia and the Pacific

Australia is seemingly focused on the red centre and the wealth generated by its vast farms and mines. Ian Hoskins’ book is a useful antidote to this inland fixation by retelling Australia’s long-standing relationship with the Pacific.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific

In a world of geopolitical turbulence and great power rivalry, three recent high-level meetings illustrate the strong and shared interest that the EU and the Indo-Pacific countries have in enhancing their collective security, prosperity and resilience.

Defence diplomacy in the Pacific

Rather than encouraging bilateralism, Australia’s defence diplomacy should advance an approach that bolsters cooperation and capacity to respond to security challenges under the auspices of regional institutions such as the Pacific Islands Forum.

The other side of the story

Female journalists in the Pacific are mobilising to work together against gender discrimination in male dominated workplaces.

Prospects for PNG

PNG’s economy has rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing it to host important foreign leaders, reduce the fiscal deficit and introduce exchange rate reforms, but PNG may be entering a period of political uncertainty that puts all these gains at risk.