Solomon Islands
Pacific Engagement Visas: New developments but quotas unknown
Australia is surprisingly low-key about the recent launch of its new subclass 192 Pacific Engagement Visa lottery that aims to welcome 3,000 new permanent migrants …
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
With a week to go before voters take to the polls on 17 April, election campaigns in Solomon Islands are in full swing with 334 candidates vying for 50 seats (only 21 candidates…
State of play for Pacific women in 2024
As 2024 rang in, an historical vote was taking place in the Pacific. Hilda Heine, former president of the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) and first ever female head of state in…
Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific
Pacific Island countries, with their sprawling geography, have been caught in a digital divide. Lack of critical, digitally enabling infrastructure slows down development progress…
Japan risks its reputation in Oceania with Fukushima discharge
Japan’s decision last month to begin discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from its destroyed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is fairly unpopular…
The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on
Last September, the United States made some big promises to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) at its first ever Pacific Leaders’ Summit. The brief follow-up summit scheduled to take…
A call for medical détente in the Pacific Islands
As US and China competition increases in the region, perhaps it is time for Pacific Island countries to call for “medical détente” to invoke a kind of cold war Geneva Convention…
Solomon Islands: Invest in people and police before military
When Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare declared last week he wanted to establish a national military force to fill security gaps in the country, it sparked concern among…
A Pacific power play could prove the Quad’s relevance
Last December, I trekked around some of the most remote corners of the Solomon Islands province of Malaita. The communities that hosted me – small villages littered with colourful…
Geopolitical duel in the Pacific: Solomon Islands security at risk as Australia and China compete
Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles landed in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, last week for talks on the future of Australia’s defence and policing presence…