Pacific Islands Trade, Labor, and Security in an Era of Globalization

Globalization is having its most transformative effects in the Pacific in three areas of economic and political life: trade, labor, and security. The global move from protection to free trade has reached the Pacific and will have its greatest initial impact on Fiji’s sugar and garment industries, both of which face major restructuring and possibly extinction. Within ten years, the Pacific Plan might also create economic integration within the entire Pacific Islands Forum area, though the free movement of labor from the Islands into Australia and New Zealand seems unlikely. Thanks in large part to the war in Iraq, Fiji has now joined Sämoa and Tonga as a remittance economy, but Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu have little access to remittance income. Globalization in Solomon Islands has taken the form of unregulated investment in tropical logging, which has contributed to corrupting the political system. The consequence is regional intervention led by Australia, which is also attempting to shore up Papua New Guinea, where the government’s priorities are influenced by its heavy dependence on foreign investors in resource projects. Globalization will probably widen inequalities throughout the Pacific, and some countries will benefit more than others. Cultural, historical, and demographic circumstances at the receiving end of globalization in the Island states of the Pacific play determining roles in whether the process has positive or negative consequences

The Fiji Election of 2014: Rights, Representation and Legitimacy in Fiji Politics

Abstract: Fiji’s 2014 election was its first in eight years, first under the 2013 constitution, and first using a common roll of electors with proportional representation. In the new parliament of 50 seats, the coup leader of 2006, Frank Bainimarama, e

Political status and development: the implications for Australian foreign policy towards the Pacific Islands

"Nine in every 10 Pacific islanders live in the independent countries of the region — Fiji, Kiribati,Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The remaining tenth — almost a million people in all — live in the territories and freely associated states, where formal connections with a metropolitan state offer access to its resources and opportunities. In different ways, and with different levels of devolution of power to local governments, eight of the Pacific island entities in the Pacific community are territories of external states, and a further five Pacific island entities are freely associated with an external state." Page 1.AusAI

American Strategic Considerations Drive Compact Negotiations in Micronesia: Part 2

In a flurry of activity over the last nine months, the United States has rediscovered the strategic value of the freely associated states in Micronesia. This In Brief is in two parts: in the first Stewart Firth examines the geopolitical context of the United States’ relations with the freely associated states, including China’s interest in the region; in the second he describes how the United States is updating its Pacific Islands policy, both in the freely associated states and in the region more generally

Globalisation and Governance in the Pacific Islands

Politics and government; Globalization; Congresses; Oceani

Security in Papua New Guinea: The Military and Diplomatic Dimensions

Papua New Guinea is embedded in a regional strategic order dominated by the United States and Australia. The Government of Papua New Guinea recognises the country�s security shortcomings and is taking action to remedy them. It plans to more than double the size of the PNG Defence Force to 5,000 regular and reserve personnel by 2017. The core tasks of the PNG Defence Force are to defend PNG against attack and maintain the integrity of its sovereign land, air and maritime borders; to provide civil emergency assistance in security, humanitarian and disaster relief; to engage in nation building; and to participate in international operations in both war zones and humanitarian operations. PNG is now sending peacekeepers to UN operations in Sudan and South Sudan. Regionally, the PNGDF has emerged with a good reputation after ten years with the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. Borders present problems. Both the PNG-Indonesia border and the PNG-Australia border require continuing bilateral cooperation. The Pan-Melanesianism of the Melanesian Spearhead Group poses difficulties for PNG in its relations with Indonesia. Australia matters most as a defence partner for PNG, but the Manus asylum seeker processing centre is undermining Australia�s advocacy of maintaining high standards in delivering security. The military mood is buoyant in PNG, but PNG�s security problems are fundamentally developmental and political and will not be solved quickly

American Strategic Considerations Drive Compact Negotiations in Micronesia: Part 1

In a flurry of activity over the last nine months, the United States has rediscovered the strategic value of the freely associated states in Micronesia. This In Brief is in two parts: in the first Stewart Firth examines the geopolitical context of the United States’ relations with the freely associated states, including China’s interest in the region; in the second he describes how the United States is updating its Pacific Islands policy, both in the freely associated states and in the region more generally

From Election to Coup The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath

In May 2006 Fiji held its tenth general election since independence in 1970. In a country with an unenviable history of electoral trauma, the mood was apprehensive if not tense – not least because of controversial public statements against the incumbent Qarase government being made by the commander of Fiji’s military forces. Despite a record number of parties and candidates, the winners were the two big parties – the heavily church-backed SDL, the party of choice of the majority of indigenous Fijians; and the Fiji Labour Party, the party preferred by most Indo-Fijians. Although the result was ethnically polarised, for the first time in Fijian history the successful candidates came together to share power in a constitutionally ordained multiparty cabinet, with Laisenia Qarase retaining the prime ministership. But the fragile collaboration was short-lived. On 5 December 2006, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama ordered a military takeover, declaring himself ‘President’, ousting the elected government and replacing it with an ‘interim’ government of his choice, and once again throwing Fiji into political turmoil. With contributions from ex-Vice President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, ousted Prime Minister Laesenia Qarase, leader of the Fiji Labour Party and now interim Minister for Finance Mahendra Chaudhry, and an impressive array of leading commentators on Fijian affairs, this book provides a comprehensive and penetrating analysis of the lead-up to, the outcome and the aftermath of Fiji’s historic 2006 election. Shedding light on the complex weave of traditional chiefly systems, race relations, economics, constitutionality, the military ethos and religion, From Election to Coup in Fiji is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Fiji, the South Pacific and the politics of divided societies

The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji

This book explores the factors behind – and the implications of – the 2006 coup. It brings together contributions from leading scholars, local personalities, civil society activists, union leaders, journalists, lawyers, soldiers and politicians – including deposed Prime Ministers Laisenia Qarase and Mahendra Chaudhry. The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to End All Coups? is essential reading for those with an interest in the contemporary history of Fiji, politics in deeply divided societies, or in military intervention in civilian politics