How the China Card is Played in New Caledonia

As China's international profile grows, debates over Chinese influence occupy a significant role in New Caledonian politics, as elsewhere. The idea that independence from France will inevitably result in New Caledonia being strategically dominated by China is a popular theme in the rhetoric of the nonindependentist 'no' camp, which seeks to remain French. But the independentist 'yes' camp, which strives for New Caledonia to become a sovereign state, neutralises this claim by transferring fears of China back towards France and the 'no' camp. Both camps use the China card to try to influence Australia’s position on New Caledonia in their favour. French government officials and academics also play up the threat of China to the French Pacific. However, hard evidence of Beijing's alleged designs on New Caledonia is circumstantial and, so far, less compelling than for almost everywhere else in the Pacific.Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trad

The Great Revolt: Franco-Kanak conflict in historical retrospect

This essay takes a macroscopic look at the history of conflict between the Kanaks (used interchangeably with ‘Melanesians’—the natives of New Caledonia) and French settlers. It focuses upon two chief confrontations—the Great Revolt of 1878 and the political ‘events’ of the 1980s. Historical analysis and comparison is applied to these; the interplay between diverging interpretations of history and political polarisation is likewise explored. All translations from French sources to English are the author’s own

'Holy Russia': the cultural influences of orthodoxy on Russian foreign policy

This paper discusses the often-overlooked topic of the profound philosophical influence which Russian Orthodoxy has historically had on Russian culture and, as a result, on Russia’s behaviour in foreign affairs. In particular, I highlight the three main trends which appear to continue between the early Tsarist and Soviet periods—namely, the idea of Russia’s ‘special mission’ in the world, messianism and millenarianism

Getting to ‘Oui’ in the Nouméa Accord’s Final Status Talks

Behind a façade of stability, New Caledonian politics is shifting away from its long-established bipolar structure. While there is no chance the deep schism between supporters and opponents of independence from France will suddenly dissolve, it is being gradually eroded by ongoing cultural and political trends. Even if glacially slow, this change is becoming increasingly noticeable. Observers of New Caledonian politics have a similar tendency to assume, that its current two-bloc structure is an unshakeable law of nature and that no solution to the country’s five-decade independence struggle is in sight, much as people once thought the Berlin Wall insurmountable. But behind the illusion of a static and eternal order, New Caledonia is entering warning time of a potential strategic shock. This paper argues that, in part because bipolar politics is fraying under intensifying centrifugal pressure, a new grand bargain is likely by 2024.Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trad

EscapED: A Framework for Creating Educational Escape Rooms and Interactive Games to For Higher/Further Education

Game-based learning (GBL) is often found to be technologically driven and more often than not, serious games for instance, are conceptualised and designed solely for digital platforms and state of the art technologies. To encourage a greater discussion on the potential benefits and challenges of a more holistic approach to developing GBL that promote human centered interactions and play for learning, the authors present the escapED programme. The escapED programme was conceived following the recent entertainment trend of escape rooms and is used for developing non-digital GBL approaches within education. escapED aids the design and creation of educational Escape Rooms and Interactive Gaming Experiences for staff and students in further/higher education settings. The paper first presents a pilot study that was used to assess the feasibility and acceptance of University teaching staff of embedding interactive GBL into a higher education environment. The authors then present the escapED theoretical framework that was used to create the prototype game for the pilot study as a tool to aid future design and development of on-site interactive experiences. The paper also presents an external developer report of using the escapED framework to develop a prototype game for teaching research methods to Southampton University students. Finally, the authors present a discussion on the use of the escapED framework so far and plans for future work and evaluation in order to provide engaging alternatives for learning and soft skills development amongst higher education staff andstudents

A Diplomatic Surge in Afghanistan, 2011-2014

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states and their coalition partners—encompassing some 40 democracies—are not the only players with high stakes in the current war for Afghanistan. Influential players such as Russia, Pakistan, Iran, India, and China all have legitimate interests.1 Without a commensurate multilateral diplomatic surge, efforts toward lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan will most likely fail. But the potential of international cooperation in facilitating a long-term political settlement in that country remains woefully underexploited. Diplomatic cooperation among the main external players, along with coalition forces, will be essential to success in the Afghan campaign