Pacific Islands

Two tiny and uninhabited islands in the middle of the Pacific that have, to date, appeared relatively uninteresting have revived deep tensions between France and Vanuatu. In 1929, France took possession of Hunter and Matthew Islands and attached their management to their then-colony New Hebrides,

The terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch by an Australian white supremacist accused of killing 50 people as they gathered for prayer has rightfully horrified people the world over. While police and security agencies grapple with how the attack came to pass without their

Stephen Dziedzic reports on the visit by two of Donald Trump’s top security advisers to the Pacific last week, noting that the creation of a director for Oceania & Indo-Pacific Security at the White House National Security Council (NSC) demonstrates a greater commitment by the US for re-

Media outlets across the ditch have been buzzing in recent weeks with fresh concerns over a potential downturn in New Zealand-China relations. Talk of the supposed souring has been especially prominent in Wellington, where worries have centred on the implications for New Zealand’s all-important

Another scandal on Manus Island. Local employees at the Australian-funded immigration centres, managed by Paladin, have walked off the job due to pay and poor working conditions. Paladin is already under scrutiny due to its $423 million contract with the federal government. Papua New

The focus of the Pacific Islands Forum and its Secretariat is securing the future prosperity and wellbeing of the “Blue Pacific”. The Forum seeks genuine partnerships with all actors who are willing to join us along the pathway towards that vision. Therefore, I reject the terms of the dilemma in

Angus Grigg, Jonathan Shapiro, and Lisa Murray have written three articles for the Australian Financial Review this week investigating Paladin Group, a company that received contracts worth $423 million from the Department of Home Affairs to provide security for refugees on Manus Island. 

Papua New Guinea’s parliament is sitting amid speculation of a vote of no-confidence being moved in the government against Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. A grace period against such votes expires on 5 February. O’Neill has been under pressure from the opposition over the cost of hosting the

Nice try, you might say. Huawei has proposed a purely Kiwi workforce to assuage New Zealand’s concerns about the Chinese company’s potential involvement in developing 5G infrastructure. That might not be enough if Wellington shares the full extent of its Five Eyes partners’ concerns about

With just under six months before Bougainvilleans go to the polls to decide if they want independence from Papua New Guinea, last month’s APEC leaders’ meeting in Port Moresby gave fresh impetus to assertions that Bougainville is yet another fly caught in the web of influence and counter-

The first in a series where Lowy Institute experts look back on what surprised them in 2018. If you had told me this time last year that in 2018 I would be one of the most frequently quoted Lowy Institute staff members in the media, I would have laughed you out of the room. Conventional thinking

Renewable energy is high on the development agenda for the Pacific. The Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map showed that donors and Pacific Island Countries are making a concerted effort to implement ambitious renewable energy goals. For example, the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu aim to

It is undoubtedly in Australia’s geopolitical interests to invest in the development of our immediate region, but the question we should all be asking is: what is the most effective way to spend our taxpayer-funded aid budget in the Pacific, rather than simply, how can we compete with China? The

The statements about the importance of the Pacific to Australia by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne, backed by the Foreign Policy White Paper last year, are most welcome. The further decisions announced at APEC last week did even better. The fact is, Australia has

You get the sense that while Donald Trump didn’t make it to Papua New Guinea for the APEC Leaders Summit, his reality TV producers could have had a hand in how it played out. APEC 2018 had it all: conflict, romance, an exotic setting, and a dramatic finale that will keep trade diplomats on

Port Moresby is hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week, and there is plenty of early coverage. The New York Times offered a scene setter, while the ABC used numbers to describe the efforts made by Papua New Guinea to host the meeting. Stephen Howes, however, examines the lost

Bougainville’s history of peacebuilding is typically depicted as a story of light international intervention. Both the Bougainville Peace Agreement signed in 2001, and the later 2004 constitution establishing Bougainville’s political autonomy from Papua New Guinea, recognised local systems of

Against New Caledonia’s troubled history, Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s statement was highly appropriate, expressing Australia’s acknowledgement of the achievement by the French government and local parties in a momentous vote on 4 November. The vote is the first step of the final

The victory is clear, but certainly not as wide as the loyalists had hoped for. On Sunday, the people of New Caledonia voted for their territory to stay part of France. To the question: “Do you want New Caledonia to gain full sovereignty and become independent?”, 56.4% (78,361 votes) voted “

On Sunday, 4 November, 174,154 voters will vote on the future of New Caledonia, a territory only a couple of hours flight east of Australia. They will be called to the polls to say “yes” or “no” to independence. How and why has this moment arrived, who can vote, and what will happen

Over the past year, Pacific specialists have been caught between bemusement, frustration, and deepening concern as elements within the strategic community in Australia and the United States have sought to shape the regional security narrative to reflect their growing anxiety about Chinese influence

In preparation for APEC, Papua New Guinea has imported 40 Maseratis and other luxury cars to transport foreign delegates during the forum. PNG government says cars will be on-sold to “private sector”, and not everyone is happy. To protest against corruption in PNG, opposition MPs Bryan

Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Wang Yi struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone, expressing the wish to partner with Australia in the development of the Pacific