Opinion: Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of RAMSI in Solomon Islands
A significant milestone in the history of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific was marked this week, on 24 July 2023. It was the 20th anniversary of the start of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
Opinion: Geopolitical competition and Solomon Islands: navigating the middle ground
Geopolitical competition can have adverse impact on third-party countries. We are seeing this in Solomon Islands, where domestic political discourses – at least in Honiara and on social media – are dominated by the
Opinion: Vital to protect pro-Israel UN votes from Pacific nations
It is no secret that Israel is disproportionately singled out at the United Nations. Last year, the General Assembly approved 15 anti-Israel resolutions. That was two more than all of the other resolutions criticising
Opinion: High seas treaty too late to stop seabed mining
When the International Seabed Authority begins accepting applications for deep-sea mining operations in the coming weeks, there will remain a lingering question. How much control will authorities have over operations to
Opinion: Pacific treaties must be built with care and nurtured once they’re in place
Security agreements are an increasingly hot topic in the Pacific as Australia, the U.S, China and New Zealand seek broad arrangements across the region. Melanesian countries have attracted the most attention; over the
Opinion: Who will dare break the vicious cycle of corruption in the Pacific?
“When you don’t take a stand against corruption you tacitly support it.” ― Kamal Haasa The first instinct of a person responsible for the care of their loved ones in a modern-day Pacific society is to survive by
Opinion: You can’t mine the seabed without proper rules
Mining the seabed without proper regulations seems outlandish. But it could happen sooner than we think. 10 July, 2023 is shaping as D-Day for the world’s oceans. That is the day after a two-year deadline placed on
Opinion: We have run out of time
Why Pacific feminists and climate justice activists are boycotting COP28 “COP28 is this year so heavily compromised that a grassroots-led group like DIVA for Equality would be betraying the constituency by
Opinion: FIPIC reaffirms silver lining
The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) held its third summit in May in Port Moresby, after a postponement. Papua New Guinea’s Post Courier highlighted the meeting by reporting that the
Opinion: The Pacific – Securing the Future
Submarine cables are a vital element of infrastructure for Pacific Island countries. Over the last five years, a focus on the Pacific region submarine cable development has demonstrated enormous growth in the number of
Community building as state building in a Port Moresby suburb
Where do you start to build a state? We often imagine top-down processes of constitution writing and elaborate institutional frameworks of national governance. But what if we move beyond narrow institutionalist
