19 May 2025
After listening, what’s Australia’s next move in the Pacific?
Pacific governments will ultimately judge Australia on concrete actions rather than friendly gestures.
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2 May 2025
Bursting the Solomon Islands stability bubble
A mass cabinet exodus sets up another leadership change amid shifting Chinese influence in the Pacific nation. -
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. -
13 Jan 2025
The case to keep guns out of police hands in Solomon Islands
In a country where trust in the police is already fragile, bringing in more weapons won’t help. -
18 Dec 2024
What I’ll be watching for in 2025
Lowy researchers gaze at their crystal balls – with questions, more than answers, for the year ahead. -
27 Nov 2024
The Pacific disinformation playbook
A surge in connectivity has exacerbated the region’s challenges, undermining trust in science and government. -
7 Nov 2024
Fake kidnaps and real dangers of disinformation in Pacific Islands
Islanders have long joked about “coconut wireless” storytelling – but more understanding of these networks is needed in the digital age. -
8 Aug 2024
Economic diplomacy: Banking on the Pacific
Rebuilding regional banking is unlikely to pay dividends without an underlying business revival. -
3 May 2024
Can Solomon Islands’ new prime minister really be friends to all?
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
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. -
8 Mar 2024
State of play for Pacific women in 2024
When the playing field is levelled, the dividends are doubled, both in politics and sport. -
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. -
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. -
22 Sep 2023
The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on
Recognising that it cannot go it alone, Washington needs to coordinate its development efforts with like-minded partners. -
31 Jul 2023
A call for medical détente in the Pacific Islands
Pooling the expertise and resources of development partners is a win not only for regional healthcare but soft diplomacy. -
28 Jul 2023
Solomon Islands: Invest in people and police before military
Australia and foreign partners should work with existing institutions. A new military capability could make matters worse. -
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. -
7 Jul 2023
Geopolitical duel in the Pacific: Solomon Islands security at risk as Australia and China compete
Honiara has successfully leveraged strategic competition to meet its security interests but there are worrying signs of friction. -
30 May 2023
An inside look at the role of media in Solomon Islands’ national security landscape
Asking hard questions also means knowing what information to trust and having faith journalists will also be respected. -
11 May 2023
The disproportionate attention on the Solomons-China security pact
A tendency to “securitise” problems via a geopolitical lens only downplays legitimate aspirations of local communities. -
20 Apr 2023
Questions about Australian aid to fund the Pacific Games
Australia is backing a sports tournament over urgent development needs, and doing so may break international aid rules. -
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. -
25 Jan 2023
Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing
With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up. -
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. -
27 Dec 2022
How to Interpret 2022: Solomon Islands strikes a deal
Honiara’s foreign policy caused ripples across the region, as we round up highlights of the year from The Interpreter. -
25 Nov 2022
Riots serve an unexpected lesson in the Pacific
A new report on civil unrest in the region calls for a longer and wider lens in analysing reasons and rationales. -
13 Sep 2022
Why Indonesia’s engagement with Pacific countries matters
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: a blueprint to stop a cycle of strife
Allowing more power for the provinces under a decentralised system of governance will be a step towards stability. -
27 Jun 2022
Pacific labour mobility and the existential threat of climate change
Australia needs to walk the walk on emissions, migration targets and resettlements to make itself a good neighbour. -
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. -
23 May 2022
PNG and the Solomon Islands-China security agreement
While respecting Solomon Islands sovereignty, regional solutions to regional problems are not yet fully exhausted. -
10 May 2022
Chinese bases in the Pacific: A reality check
Frustrating Beijing’s ambitions to create a sphere of influence is overwhelmingly a diplomatic task, not a military one. -
2 May 2022
Solomon Islands-China security pact: A feminist foreign policy answer
For Australia to change the game in regional relations, it needs to grapple with new rules about systems of power. -
26 Apr 2022
Fixing Australia’s failing Pacific Step-up strategy
Supporting domestic interest groups in the region will bring success, and should be high on Canberra’s “to do” list. -
22 Apr 2022
Solomons: How Australia stacks up in a China aid bidding war
Lowy Institute’s Pacific Aid Map reveals the true scope of Australia’s development assistance to the region. -
21 Apr 2022
Solomons security pact: Sogavare, China, and Australia
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
Solomon Islands asserts its sovereignty – with China and the West
The danger is geopolitical competition being appropriated by local actors on both sides of local political tensions. -
25 Mar 2022
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context
Honiara’s negotiations with Beijing may raise alarm but it should not come as a surprise to Canberra. -
11 Feb 2022
Solomon Islands: A weak nation ravaged by a health crisis
A Covid-19 outbreak so soon after community unrest has left state institutions playing a catch-up game. -
25 Jan 2022
Solomon Islands: cops bearing gifts
Australia and China offer the archipelago nation a grab bag of policing options that often miss the mark. -
17 Dec 2021
Solomons strife demands a development re-think
Australia’s security-driven approach is regularly counterproductive. -
6 Dec 2021
Solomon Islands – where world news is all local
The coverage of the latest crisis was a showcase of Solomon Islands journalists telling the story of their own country. -
30 Nov 2021
Solomon Islands deployment: Australia must meet obligations to women
The risks to local women’s security are well understood. Following plans already in place should be a priority. -
26 Nov 2021
Honiara as the smoke subsides
The riots in Solomon Islands this week follow a pattern of past unrest – yet with important symbolic differences, too. -
25 Nov 2021
Dark days for Honiara in the shadow of geopolitics
Solomon Islands finds itself tangled in a web of deep grievances and duelling powers keen to curry favour. -
7 Oct 2021
Pacific Step-Up needs a Covid-era reboot
Australia must bolster its vaccine assistance with practical fixes, starting with energy and cold-storage solutions. -
18 May 2021
Long-ago battle in Solomon Islands keeps claiming lives
Locals should not be forced to live in fear of the hidden menace still posed by explosive wartime remnants. -
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. -
18 May 2020
Constitutional questions over Solomon Islands’ coronavirus crackdown
Sweeping emergency powers must be used in a manner “reasonably justifiable”, not as an excuse to marginalise opponents.