In this Lowy Institute Policy Brief, Melanesia Program Director Jenny Hayward-Jones examines the significance of Fiji’s elections on 17 September for Australian policy towards Fiji. She argues that the election will only be the first step in Fiji’s transition to democracy after eight years of Voreqe Bainimarama’s military rule. Australia should use its influence to...

Summary In this Analysis Lowy Institute Melanesia Program Director, Jenny Hayward-Jones, argues that Australia’s massive expenditure of $2.6 billion on the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was a high price to pay for restoring stability in a small country. She argues that although there were many laudable achievements, the key lesson of RAMSI...

Presents the outcomes of a dialogue involving twenty-two emerging leaders from Papua New Guinea and Australia, from across the business, government, media and non-government sectors. Introduction: The Lowy Institute hosted the inaugural Australia-Papua New Guinea Emerging Leaders Dialogue on 26 November 2013. The Dialogue was convened with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs...

China's growing engagement in the Pacific Islands has fueled talk of great-power competition in the region. But viewing China's activities in the region in geo-strategic terms is inappropriate and potentially counter-productive. Australia and the United States should focus on cooperating with China in aid and investment activities that support Pacific Island development priorities rather than...

This presentation explains a new complexity in the Asia-Pacific region which portends a greater range of strategic choices, and suggests measures Australia could take to respond to future challenges. Outline: Strategic outlook for the region in the framework of the assessments made in Strong and Secure: A Strategy for Australia’s National Security Australian dominance in...