Australia and next steps in the Pacific

Dr Anthony Bergin and Jeffrey Wall The Solomon Islands security agreement with China is a significant setback for Australia and the region. In barely three years Solomon Islands has gone from supporting Taiwan

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Movers and Shakers

Tuvalu national Ian Fry is the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change for the next three years. Fiji’s Sefanaia Nawadra has commenced his new role as Director-General (D-G) at SPREP

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Australia election: Climate the most important security issue, say military and political leaders

As voters in Australia head to the polls on 21 May, there is increasing debate over the link between climate change and security. Capitalising on the heated debate around the China-Solomon Islands security agreement, a

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FSM files continental shelf claim

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has filed with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf a claim of an extended continental shelf covering a high-sea area of approximately 188,000

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Canberra’s tired old script has led to a less democratic Solomon Islands and a less secure Australia

China must be hoping that Australia persists in its “business as usual” approach to Solomon Islands. An appeasement policy by Australia towards the Solomons prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has been outstandingly

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PNG’s Wafi-Golpu project talks stall

PNG's Wafi-Golpu project has been stalled over the remaining major issue of the mine waste disposal

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Whispers

Samoan style Samoa’s former PM, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has been found guilty of contempt of court in relation to last year’s contentious election. But in a judgement that reflects the extraordinary way Samoans

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“The game plan from the outside is to divide and conquer”

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna talks Forum unity, the 2050 strategy and his

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Moana Minerals secures Cook Islands exploration licence

Moana Minerals Limited has been awarded an exploration licence by the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority. The exploration license grants Moana with exclusive rights for a period of five years to explore for cobalt-

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Paddling Reverend creates global ripples

By Anendra Singh Mother Earth speaks volumes when it comes to defining life, but the Reverend James Shri Bhagwan believes a more universal dialect does that better.In trying to put global existence on its axis from a

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Tides that bind: Australia and Pacific leadership

Richard Marles has a passion for the Pacific. In his new book ‘Tides that bind: Australia in the Pacific’, the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) argues that Australia should play a greater leadership

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Independence leader takes top job in New Caledonia

By Nic Maclellan After months of delay, New Caledonia finally has a new leader. Louis Mapou was elected as President of New Caledonia on 8 July, the first time in nearly 40 years that a Kanak independence leader will

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