After more than four years of negotiation, economic-assistance funding has been approved under the Compacts of Association, the agreements that govern US relations with Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. But will …
Originally published on 16 May 2023. Media freedom is an essential pillar of democracy. In Pacific island countries, this pillar is under threat from financial and capacity constraints. Democratic partners—which believe in the importance of …
There’s growing awareness that Australia’s international development program is one of the tools of national power that Australia can use to shape the world around it. The danger is that if ‘influence’ becomes an unstated …
Maritime security is a broad concept that spans several domains. Traditionally it has focused on defence, state-based military threats, and the protection of national interests and sovereignty at sea. Less attention has been paid to …
It will surprise some, and disappoint others, that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s new policy statement on international aid has drawn so little apparent interest from its intended beneficiaries. Australia’s Pacific neighbours should …