PROTORP – Pôle de Recherche sur l'Océanie | The Oceania Research Project
Multilingual research and analysis hub on geopolitics in Oceania
Australia works on security deal with Vanuatu in bid to counter China’s influence “Australia promised on Monday to bolster the cyber security capability of Vanuatu as it agreed to begin negotiating a security treaty with its Pacific neighbor, ramping up diplomacy in the region to combat China’s rising influence.” Read more: https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1JL0BE-OCATP
Asia Pacific Bulletin: The United States is Losing the Pacific – Ben Bohane “From a Pacific Islands perspective the United States is no longer visible, apart from an annual “Pacific Partnership” visit by the US navy. Washington rarely sends high‐level diplomats to visit Pacific nations, and does not attend the most important regional gatherings, such as the annual meeting of island leaders known as the Pacific Island Forum (PIF).” Bohane, Ben. 2018. “The United States is Losing the Pacific”. Asia Pacific Bulletins (n°414). East-West Center : Washington.
Australian ambition and aspiration for a South Pacific community – Graeme Dobell “Australia’s aspiration for the South Pacific must be for the creation of an economic, political and security community. Australia and New Zealand will be central to such a community—and will carry the cost—but much of the head, heart and soul will come from Papua New Guinea and the other members of the Pacific Islands Forum.” Read More: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australian-ambition-aspiration-south-pacific-community/
Measuring peace in the Pacific – Addressing SDG16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions – Murray Ackman, Dr Andrea Abel van Es. and Daniel Hyslop “This report aims to measure peace in the Pacific. It also seeks to enhance our understanding of the existing data and capacity to measure Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report is part of a larger research project by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Outlined within the report is why Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16) is important to the Pacific, […]
2017 Foreign Policy White Paper “The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper sets out a comprehensive framework to advance Australia’s security and prosperity in a contested and competitive world. Informed by our values, it describes Australia’s national interests and the Government’s international engagement priorities. It is our agenda for opportunity, security and strength.” Australia. Minister for Foreign Affairs. 2017. 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper. Minister for Foreign Affairs.
What is Australia up to? – Cleo Paskal Cleo Paskal outlines the growing influence of China towards Australia and stresses how Australia is dealing with it. Paskal, Cleo. 2017. “What is Australia up to?”. The World Today (october & november): 42-44
“We are big ocean states.” – Dame Meg Taylor, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, talks about the “blue Pacific” concept to explain regionalism between Pacific Islands Countries and how they should be apprehended as consolidated “big ocean states”.
Security in Oceania in the 21st Century – Eric Shibuya and Jim Rolfe «Where there has been attention focused on security issues for small island states, they have tended towards what has happened or can happen to island states rather than what island states can do to enhance their own security outlook. Prominent discussions of security in general, or even of Asia-Pacific security, have not taken the concerns of island states into much account, if at all.» Shibuya, Eric and Jim Rolfe. 2003. Security in Oceania in the 21st Century. Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies : Hawaii
Principled engagement: Rebuilding defence ties with Fiji – Anna Powles and Jose Sousa-Santos «The geopolitics of the Pacific Islands region is changing, including theemergence of the new Pacific regionalism. The traditional regionalsecurity orthodoxy is also changing. The Russian arms deal to Fiji hasunderlined the extent to which Australia and New Zealand facecompetition for access and influence from external players in theirrelations with Fiji. Since the normalisation of relations in 2014, Australiaand New Zealand have pursued a soft approach to engagement.» Powles, Anna et Jose Sousa-Santos. 2016. « Principled engagement: Rebuilding defence ties with Fiji »Lowy Institute for International Policy (Juillet) […]
A Guidebook on Pacific Diplomacy: India Looks to the ‘Far East’ – Patrick Walsh « Since his assumption to power in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been slowly stretching the arm of the country’s foreign policy into Pacific waters in furtherance of the ‘Act East’ policy. While India’s relationship with the Pacific island states (read, not Australia and New Zealand) is quite unestablished, Modi is attempting to set the foundations for prosperous future cooperation. » Walsh, Patrick. 2017. « A Guidebook on Pacific Diplomacy: India Looks to the ‘Far East’ ». Observer Research Foundation 109 (Février) : 1-34