Author: Tess Newton Cain, Griffith Asia Institute
In the Pacific islands region, the COVID-19 story is one of contrasts. There have been few confirmed cases of infection. Many Pacific island countries are COVID-19-free thanks to the swift and decisive actions of governments in closing borders early and keeping them firmly shut. But the danger is not over yet so there is no room for complacency. Significant risk factors are still present in Pacific island countries, including a prevalence of chronic disease and weak healthcare systems despite recent international efforts to provide support by way of funding and equipment.
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Authors: Anna Powles and Jose Sousa-Santos, Massey University
At the time of writing, there are 63 reported cases of COVID-19 in the Pacific. This includes one in Papua New Guinea, three in Fiji, seven in New Caledonia, 23 in French Polynesia, 29 in Guam and suspected cases in Samoa. The number is relatively low but there is a sense that tragedy is unfolding in slow motion across a region where health sectors are already under-funded and poorly equipped. Read more…
Author: Kerryn Baker, ANU
The past year has been a time of considerable change for the Pacific Islands, with new leadership, new partnerships and even the potential for new nations all coming into being. The one constant is the enduring threat of climate change, with 2019 ultimately a disappointing year for Pacific climate activists. Read more…
Author: Scott MacWilliam, ANU
In Fiji, 2019 was similar to the year that preceded it. But things might be a little different in 2020.
In the run up to the second election since the so-called return to democracy in November 2018, the FijiFirst government led by Prime Minister Voreqe ‘Frank’ Bainimarama campaigned on its past successes. Emphasising supposedly unprecedented economic growth as well as increased support for households, the governing party stressed its role in providing stability through continuity. Read more…
Author: Denghua Zhang, ANU
China’s engagement with the states of the South Pacific Ocean has accelerated in recent years. But while policymakers and academics increasingly talk about China’s growing influence, Beijing actually operates in the region under a number of constraints.
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Author: Tess Newton Cain, TNC Pacific Consulting
The changed and changing geostrategic environment of the Pacific islands made its presence known on numerous occasions during the year. After decades of neglect, the region was ‘rediscovered’ by strategists in Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Read more…
Author: Neelesh Gounder, University of the South Pacific
SEZs have become common industrial policies with more than 3500 special economic zones (SEZs) in over 130 countries. Though widely seen as a means to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), their end goal is to support industrialisation and contribute to economic growth and development. Read more…
Author: Sandra Tarte, University of the South Pacific
In the face of North Korea’s nuclear program, a resurgent China, an unpredictable US president and the rise of anti-globalisation forces, Japan’s new Indo-Pacific strategy aims to improve connectivity between the Pacific and Indian Oceans and between the African and Asian continents. Tokyo intends for ‘Indo-Pacific’ to supersede ‘Asia Pacific’ as the term that describes its region. Read more…
Author: Tess Newton Cain, TNC Pacific Consulting
This year has been another one of significant political events in Melanesia.
The biggest political story of the year was the general election in PNG. While it was anticipated that Peter O’Neill would be returned as prime minister, his party’s loss of more than 30 seats was a significant indication that opposition parties were able to make inroads in some electorates. Read more…
Author: Anthea McCarthy-Jones, University of Canberra
Over the past few decades, the operational arrangements of numerous organised crime groups operating in the Pacific have developed into sophisticated networks with shared objectives. The increasingly adaptive nature of these groups means that their illicit activities are no longer bound by discrete, local or traditional geographical locations. The December 2016 seizure by Australian Police and Australian Border Force officers of almost one tonne of cocaine is a recent example of criminal organisations utilising network structures to move vast quantities of illicit drugs across the Pacific. Read more…
Authors: Matthew Dornan and Tess Newton Cain, ANU
2016 was a big year for Pacific politics. Vanuatu and Nauru held elections — each in the context of significant concerns about governance. Censorship, deportation of the chief justice and arrests of opposition MPs have led to a serious decline in the credibility of democracy in Nauru in recent years. In Vanuatu, the election this year followed 14 members of parliament having been jailed for corruption in 2015. Read more…
Author: Sandra Tarte, University of the South Pacific
Climate change and natural disaster featured prominently on Fiji’s economic and political landscape in 2016. In November, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama attracted world-wide media attention with his call for US President-elect Donald Trump to visit Fiji ‘to see the effects of climate change for himself’. Read more…
Author: Patrick M. Walsh, Observer Research Foundation
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua could be welcomed into the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) as a full member this December, according to its Chairman, Manasseh Sogavare. This would advance its position from observer status, granted in 2014. That decision would mark the most significant recognition of West Papua as a political identity since the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority administration in the 1960s.
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Author: Sandra Tarte, University of the South Pacific
In September 2014, Prime Minster Voreqe Bainimarama’s FijiFirst party swept to victory in an election that heralded Fiji’s return to elected government, almost eight years after Bainimarama seized power in a military coup. Read more…
Author: Neelesh Gounder, University of the South Pacific
TC Winston struck Fiji on 20 February 2016, causing widespread devastation. Classed as category five, TC Winston is the strongest cyclone to have ever hit Fiji and has impacted close to 350,000 people. This comes just four years after the category four cyclone TC Evan ravaged Fiji, causing damages estimated at around FJ$195 million (US$108 million).
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