Mihai Sora

Project Director, Australia-PNG Network
Areas of expertise

Australian foreign policy in the Pacific; Australia-PNG relations; geopolitics in the Pacific; Melanesia; conflict analysis and fragile states

Mihai Sora
Biography
Publications
News and media

Mihai Sora is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program and Project Director of the Aus-PNG Network. Mihai has more than a decade’s experience as an Australian diplomat with postings to Solomon Islands and Indonesia, and was a Pacific Analyst at the Office of National Assessments. Mihai helped to design and deployed in-country with the Multinational Observer Mission to Fiji’s 2014 national elections. He has a Master of Letters in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney, a Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Geopolitical competition among the larger powers in the Pacific
Commentary
Geopolitical competition among the larger powers in the Pacific
There is strategic anxiety in both the United States and Australia about China's increasing influence in the Pacific. 
PNG’s troubled election should be a wake-up call for Australia
PNG’s troubled election should be a wake-up call for Australia
Shocking violence has captured headlines. A higher benchmark is needed in support of a free and credible ballot.
Aus-PNG Network Leadership Series: Music in PNG
Podcasts
Aus-PNG Network Leadership Series: Music in PNG
Mihai Sora is joined by Allen Kedea, also known by his stage name AKay47, to discuss the music scene in Papua New Guinea, and the role that music can play in empowering young…
Australia needs to find the right role in the Pacific
Commentary
Australia needs to find the right role in the Pacific
Australia’s financial aid program in Pacific Island nations has not delivered the influence that we hoped for. Now we need to get a better idea of what the region really might…
Australia must stop viewing the Pacific as its neighbourhood to fix
Commentary
Australia must stop viewing the Pacific as its neighbourhood to fix
As the nation heads toward an election, recent events in the Solomon Islands are a reminder that strong economic relationships with Pacific countries are important to security…
 A security agreement between China and Solomon Islands could impact stability in the whole Pacific
Commentary
A security agreement between China and Solomon Islands could impact stability in the whole Pacific
Australia must figure out how to respond to an increasingly crowded Pacific, without increasing tensions in the region. Originally published in The Guardian.
Kick-starting America’s Pacific diplomacy
Kick-starting America’s Pacific diplomacy
Trying to force a “choice” with China would be a mistake. But US can win plenty of good will living up to its promises.
Lowy Institute Conversations: Collaborating and building connections across the Pacific through art
Podcasts
Lowy Institute Conversations: Collaborating and building connections across the Pacific through art
Mihai Sora speaks to Ruth McDougall and Ruha Fifita about the 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art and how art is a powerful way to build and maintain connections…
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