Blog

Welcome to the first edition of our new summary of key security issues and events shaping the Pacific – and what lies ahead. This will be a short and snappy take on security across the Pacific region so you can stay informed of what’s happening in the Blue Pacific. It highlights a range of human…

Is it time for a paradigm shift? Pacific states, their partners, and scholars of the region must continue to evolve their understanding of the region’s security landscape as new threats emerge, Danielle Watson, Jeremy Brice, and Safua Akeli Amaama write. The security landscape in Pacific Island countries (PICs) has often involved significant improvisation and creative…

  Women in Tonga face a number of forces restricting political representation, but there is reason for hope, Lepolo Taunisila and Sonia Palmieri write. Tonga’s 2021 general election was one of the most eventful in the nation’s history as long dominant political parties were ousted by a new wave of independents. However, despite this political shift, women…

Voices from the Pacific Island region The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report emphasises that the Pacific needs both modern scientific and traditional knowledge to build resilience to climate change, Ben Bohane writes. While the launch of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s latest report this week has been overshadowed by the invasion of…

COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the Pacific, with many island nations experiencing their first outbreaks of the pandemic.

Will the leadership tussle within the PIF be resolved using the Pacific Way? Dr Henry Ivarature looks back to a previous era to see if it offers lessons on the current impasse. Reports indicating Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General Henry Puna will step down to prevent Micronesian nations from withdrawing from the Forum have…