Pacific Islands
The Pacific Ocean not only serves as a vital link of people, goods, and technology between Australia, the Americas, and Asia, but is also home to the Pacific Islands – from Papua New Guinea to the West to French Polynesia to the East. Not least since the global debate on climate change and its effects has gained traction have the island countries taken centre stage. Apart from facing potentially devastating environmental, social, and political consequences as a result, the region is also increasingly finding itself in the middle of an intensifying geopolitical power competition.
The Pacific Islands Project aims to provide a platform for knowledge-building and debate on the multi-faceted challenges the island countries are likely to face. Based on the premise that raising awareness forms an integral part of improving understanding, the project will place particular emphasis on bridging the knowledge gap between local experiences and a growing European interest in the region. Through in-depth research and the facilitation of dialogue, ISDP actively contributes to raising awareness and improving understanding of the most pressing challenges the Pacific Islands face now and in the future.
Related News
Related Publications
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Taiwan and Palau – Recognition’s Many Facets
Introduction: The tiny Pacific nation of Palau caught headlines when it co-hosted the seventh “Our Ocean Conference” in mid-April this year. For Palau’s president, Surangel Whipps Jr, the hybrid gathering […]
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The Geopolitical Aftershocks of the China-Solomon Islands Security Agreement
Introduction: Chinese President Xi Jinping, shortly after taking office, remarked in 2012 that “the vast Pacific Ocean has ample space for China and the United States.” The comment was made at a […]
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First Fiji, Then the World
How the prime minister of a tiny group of Pacific islands has become an international power player. See original article in Foreign Policy here. Immediately after his election victory in […]
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The Question of Guam: A Pivotal Island’s Changing Realities
Abstract For decades, Guam has played an important role in U.S. military strategy. The two main military bases in the island, Anderson Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam, have […]
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Fijian Leadership in the Pacific: Charting a New Course?
Summary Amidst a changing geopolitical environment, issues of domestic politics, social concerns, as well as climate change related risks, the Pacific island nation of Fiji has set out on a […]
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Taiwan-Marshall Islands Relations: Against the Tide
Introduction The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is among a handful of countries to still recognize the Republic of China (ROC)*, one of four in the South Pacific. Two […]