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  • 19 May 2025
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • New Zealand
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tuvalu
    • Vanuatu

    After listening, what’s Australia’s next move in the Pacific?

    Mihai Sora
    Pacific governments will ultimately judge Australia on concrete actions rather than friendly gestures.
  • 2 May 2025
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Bursting the Solomon Islands stability bubble

    Jon Fraenkel
    A mass cabinet exodus sets up another leadership change amid shifting Chinese influence in the Pacific nation.
  • 6 Feb 2025
    • Climate change
    • United Nations
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Samoa
    • Solomon Islands

    The global contest for the Pacific

    Michael Wesley
    Geopolitical fears of growing Chinese influence in Oceania are not the only interest Australia has in the region.
  • 13 Jan 2025
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    The case to keep guns out of police hands in Solomon Islands

    Sheridan Ward
    In a country where trust in the police is already fragile, bringing in more weapons won’t help.
  • 18 Dec 2024
    • Aid & Development
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Taiwan
    • Russia
    • Trade
    • Climate change
    • Technology
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • United States
    • Southeast Asia

    What I’ll be watching for in 2025

    Susannah Patton , Melanie Pill , Sam Roggeveen , Robert Walker , Mihai Sora , Hilman Palaon , Oliver Nobetau
    Lowy researchers gaze at their crystal balls – with questions, more than answers, for the year ahead.
  • 27 Nov 2024
    • Climate change
    • Technology
    • United Nations
    • Pacific Islands
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Samoa
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu

    The Pacific disinformation playbook

    Meg Tapia
    A surge in connectivity has exacerbated the region’s challenges, undermining trust in science and government.
  • 7 Nov 2024
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Fake kidnaps and real dangers of disinformation in Pacific Islands

    Anouk Ride
    Islanders have long joked about “coconut wireless” storytelling – but more understanding of these networks is needed in the digital age.
  • 8 Aug 2024
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Nauru
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • Vanuatu

    Economic diplomacy: Banking on the Pacific

    Greg Earl
    Rebuilding regional banking is unlikely to pay dividends without an underlying business revival.
  • 3 May 2024
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Can Solomon Islands’ new prime minister really be friends to all?

    Mihai Sora
    The success of the PM’s premiership will depend on his approach to pressing domestic problems as much as issues of national sovereignty.
  • 11 Apr 2024
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • New Zealand
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • Vanuatu

    Pacific Engagement Visas: New developments but quotas unknown

    Natasha Turia , Akka Rimon
    Australia’s highly competitive new visa lottery has much leg work to do to make fair allocations between countries.
  • 10 Apr 2024
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • New Zealand
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot

    Meg Keen , Oliver Nobetau
    Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes.
  • 8 Mar 2024
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • Sex and Gender

    State of play for Pacific women in 2024

    Jessica Collins
    When the playing field is levelled, the dividends are doubled, both in politics and sport.
  • 23 Nov 2023
    • Technology
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • Vanuatu

    Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific

    Mihai Sora
    Enhancing the region’s digital connectivity goes beyond influence. It’s about sharing prosperity and security, too.
  • 29 Sep 2023
    • Japan
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Nauru
    • New Zealand
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Vanuatu

    Japan risks its reputation in Oceania with Fukushima discharge

    Derek Grossman
    A rollcall of Pacific Island nations have very different views on the release of treated radioactive wastewater.
  • 22 Sep 2023
    • United Nations
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Vanuatu
    • United States

    The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on

    Meg Keen , Daniel Mandell
    Recognising that it cannot go it alone, Washington needs to coordinate its development efforts with like-minded partners.    
  • 31 Jul 2023
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    A call for medical détente in the Pacific Islands

    Eileen Natuzzi
    Pooling the expertise and resources of development partners is a win not only for regional healthcare but soft diplomacy.
  • 28 Jul 2023
    • Defence & Security
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands: Invest in people and police before military

    Alan C. Tidwell , Meg Keen , Anna Powles , Jose Sousa-Santos , Anouk Ride
    Australia and foreign partners should work with existing institutions. A new military capability could make matters worse.
  • 18 Jul 2023
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • China and the Pacific
    • Solomon Islands

    A Pacific power play could prove the Quad’s relevance

    Edward Cavanough
    Off-grid households across the region are desperate for electricity that doesn’t come with (China's) strings attached.
  • 7 Jul 2023
    • China
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Solomon Islands

    Geopolitical duel in the Pacific: Solomon Islands security at risk as Australia and China compete

    Anna Powles
    Honiara has successfully leveraged strategic competition to meet its security interests but there are worrying signs of friction.
  • 30 May 2023
    • Solomon Islands

    An inside look at the role of media in Solomon Islands’ national security landscape

    Gina Kekea , Anouk Ride
    Asking hard questions also means knowing what information to trust and having faith journalists will also be respected.
  • 11 May 2023
    • China
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    The disproportionate attention on the Solomons-China security pact

    Ilan Kiloe
    A tendency to “securitise” problems via a geopolitical lens only downplays legitimate aspirations of local communities.
  • 20 Apr 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    Questions about Australian aid to fund the Pacific Games

    Stephen Howes
    Australia is backing a sports tournament over urgent development needs, and doing so may break international aid rules.
  • 18 Apr 2023
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Melanesia
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • United States

    Not the Indo-Pacific: a Melanesian view on strategic competition

    Patrick Kaiku
    The states of the southwest Pacific are not interested in a zero-sum contest between the United States and China.
  • 25 Jan 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative
    • Development Assistance
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands

    Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing

    Alexandre Dayant , Meg Keen , Roland Rajah
    With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up.
  • 19 Jan 2023
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Solomon Islands

    Weaving webs of statecraft in the Pacific Islands

    Joanne Wallis , Henrietta McNeill , Alan C. Tidwell , Czeslaw Tubilewicz
    Gaining influence in the region is about tools and techniques, not just the actors.
  • 27 Dec 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Solomon Islands

    How to Interpret 2022: Solomon Islands strikes a deal

    Clare Caldwell
    Honiara’s foreign policy caused ripples across the region, as we round up highlights of the year from The Interpreter.
  • 25 Nov 2022
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Riots serve an unexpected lesson in the Pacific

    Anouk Ride
    A new report on civil unrest in the region calls for a longer and wider lens in analysing reasons and rationales.
  • 13 Sep 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Fiji
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Sovereignty, trust and mutual benefit are all at stake when so many regions come together under the Indo-Pacific banner.
  • 26 Aug 2022
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands: a blueprint to stop a cycle of strife

    Transform Aqorau , Anouk Ride
    Allowing more power for the provinces under a decentralised system of governance will be a step towards stability.
  • 27 Jun 2022
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Melanesia
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Pacific labour mobility and the existential threat of climate change

    Peter Hooton
    Australia needs to walk the walk on emissions, migration targets and resettlements to make itself a good neighbour.
  • 8 Jun 2022
    • China and the Pacific
    • Solomon Islands

    China-Solomon Islands pact: Reading between the lines

    Catherine Wilson
    The new security deal highlights Beijing’s drive to strengthen its grasp on political favour and regional resources.
  • 23 May 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands

    PNG and the Solomon Islands-China security agreement

    Patrick Kaiku
    While respecting Solomon Islands sovereignty, regional solutions to regional problems are not yet fully exhausted.
  • 10 May 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Pacific Islands
    • Australia
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Chinese bases in the Pacific: A reality check

    Sam Roggeveen
    Frustrating Beijing’s ambitions to create a sphere of influence is overwhelmingly a diplomatic task, not a military one.
  • 2 May 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Solomon Islands
    • Sex and Gender

    Solomon Islands-China security pact: A feminist foreign policy answer

    Joanna Pradela
    For Australia to change the game in regional relations, it needs to grapple with new rules about systems of power.
  • 26 Apr 2022
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Solomon Islands

    Fixing Australia’s failing Pacific Step-up strategy

    Peter Layton
    Supporting domestic interest groups in the region will bring success, and should be high on Canberra’s “to do” list.
  • 22 Apr 2022
    • China
    • Australia
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomons: How Australia stacks up in a China aid bidding war

    Alexandre Dayant
    Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map reveals the true scope of Australia’s development assistance to the region.
  • 21 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Australia
    • China
    • Solomon Islands
    • Climate change

    Solomons security pact: Sogavare, China, and Australia

    Peter Hooton
    There is no shutting China out of the South Pacific, but if Australia gets real on climate the game will truly change.
  • 31 Mar 2022
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands asserts its sovereignty – with China and the West

    Tarcisius Kabutaulaka
    The danger is geopolitical competition being appropriated by local actors on both sides of local political tensions.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context

    Derek Gwali Futaiasi
    Honiara’s negotiations with Beijing may raise alarm but it should not come as a surprise to Canberra.
  • 11 Feb 2022
    • Solomon Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Solomon Islands: A weak nation ravaged by a health crisis

    Derek Gwali Futaiasi
    A Covid-19 outbreak so soon after community unrest has left state institutions playing a catch-up game.
  • 25 Jan 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands: cops bearing gifts

    Gordon Peake , Graeme Smith
    Australia and China offer the archipelago nation a grab bag of policing options that often miss the mark.
  • 17 Dec 2021
    • Australia
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomons strife demands a development re-think

    Edward Cavanough
    Australia’s security-driven approach is regularly counterproductive.
  • 6 Dec 2021
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands – where world news is all local

    Sue Ahearn
    The coverage of the latest crisis was a showcase of Solomon Islands journalists telling the story of their own country.
  • 30 Nov 2021
    • Australia
    • Solomon Islands
    • Sex and Gender

    Solomon Islands deployment: Australia must meet obligations to women

    Nicole George
    The risks to local women’s security are well understood. Following plans already in place should be a priority.
  • 26 Nov 2021
    • Solomon Islands

    Honiara as the smoke subsides

    Anouk Ride
    The riots in Solomon Islands this week follow a pattern of past unrest – yet with important symbolic differences, too.
  • 25 Nov 2021
    • Solomon Islands

    Dark days for Honiara in the shadow of geopolitics

    Mihai Sora
    Solomon Islands finds itself tangled in a web of deep grievances and duelling powers keen to curry favour.
  • 7 Oct 2021
    • Melanesia
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Pacific Step-Up needs a Covid-era reboot

    Edward Cavanough
    Australia must bolster its vaccine assistance with practical fixes, starting with energy and cold-storage solutions.
  • 18 May 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Solomon Islands

    Long-ago battle in Solomon Islands keeps claiming lives

    Gina Kekea
    Locals should not be forced to live in fear of the hidden menace still posed by explosive wartime remnants.
  • 29 Jun 2020
    • China and the Pacific
    • China
    • Solomon Islands

    Solomon Islands gets a lesson in Chinese diplomacy

    Joseph D. Foukona
    Thanking Taiwan for aid during the Covid-19 pandemic clashes with the One China policy – at home and in Beijing.
  • 18 May 2020
    • Solomon Islands
    • Coronavirus

    Constitutional questions over Solomon Islands’ coronavirus crackdown

    Joseph D. Foukona
    Sweeping emergency powers must be used in a manner “reasonably justifiable”, not as an excuse to marginalise opponents.
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