3 Mar 2025
Is this the end of aid as we know it?
The task for Western aid is not to rebuild what existed before, but to reduce dependency altogether.
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6 Feb 2025
The global contest for the Pacific
Geopolitical fears of growing Chinese influence in Oceania are not the only interest Australia has in the region. -
8 Aug 2024
Economic diplomacy: Banking on the Pacific
Rebuilding regional banking is unlikely to pay dividends without an underlying business revival. -
11 Apr 2024
Pacific Engagement Visas: New developments but quotas unknown
Australia’s highly competitive new visa lottery has much leg work to do to make fair allocations between countries. -
10 Apr 2024
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes. -
15 Mar 2024
A “climate defence force” for the Pacific
By harnessing human, environmental and resource security, Canberra can counter Beijing’s coercive tactics in the region. -
23 Feb 2024
Geopolitics, but what of other Pacific players?
Politics is a missing element of a new Lowy Institute assessment. -
18 Jan 2024
Nauru’s diplomatic switch to China – the rising stakes in Pacific geopolitics
Australia is a player at the table but Pacific nations themselves hold the most important cards. -
23 Nov 2023
Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific
Enhancing the region’s digital connectivity goes beyond influence. It’s about sharing prosperity and security, too. -
31 Oct 2023
Infrastructure for influence: Pacific Islands building spree
Even with stabilising debt and higher revenues, the region’s needs still outpace funding. Partnerships are key. -
29 Sep 2023
Japan risks its reputation in Oceania with Fukushima discharge
A rollcall of Pacific Island nations have very different views on the release of treated radioactive wastewater. -
26 Sep 2023
US under pressure to conclude compact agreements in the North Pacific
Free association deals have been central to Washington’s Pacific engagement for forty years. Will new deadlines be met? -
18 Jul 2023
A Pacific power play could prove the Quad’s relevance
Off-grid households across the region are desperate for electricity that doesn’t come with (China's) strings attached. -
18 Apr 2023
Not the Indo-Pacific: a Melanesian view on strategic competition
The states of the southwest Pacific are not interested in a zero-sum contest between the United States and China. -
7 Mar 2023
PNG voices: regional partnerships must be based on respect
Righting perceptions of an asymmetric relationship between PNG and Australia comes down to listening. -
19 Jan 2023
Weaving webs of statecraft in the Pacific Islands
Gaining influence in the region is about tools and techniques, not just the actors. -
31 Oct 2022
China’s influence as a Pacific donor
Beijing has taken steps to increase its influence in the island region at the same time as its aid levels decline. -
25 Jul 2022
The China factor in France’s growing engagement in the “peaceful sea”
A step-up by Paris in the Indo-Pacific is evidence that it aims for a pragmatic third path in the region. -
8 Jun 2022
China-Solomon Islands pact: Reading between the lines
The new security deal highlights Beijing’s drive to strengthen its grasp on political favour and regional resources. -
22 Nov 2021
Palau faces the dragon
Beijing can make or break nations by rubber stamping them as approved destinations for Chinese tourism and investment. -
3 Aug 2020
Brunei, ASEAN and the South China Sea
A long-silent claimant has spoken, but will it be heard? -
29 Jun 2020
Solomon Islands gets a lesson in Chinese diplomacy
Thanking Taiwan for aid during the Covid-19 pandemic clashes with the One China policy – at home and in Beijing. -
23 Oct 2019
China, the Pacific, and the “debt trap” question
Charges of saddling Pacific countries in debt may be overstated, but China’s lending practices still pose risks. -
23 Sep 2019
Solomons and Kiribati snub Taiwan for China – does it matter?
In shifting allegiances, two Pacific nations reaffirm China’s rising profile, but their own challenges remain the same. -
15 Feb 2019
A rising China and the future of the “Blue Pacific”
China’s growing economic and political strength globally brings both challenges and opportunities for the Pacific. -
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