Tess Newton Cain

3 weeks ago | thejakartapost.com | Tess Newton Cain

When Solomon Islands and China signed a security agreement during Australia’s last national poll in 2022, they upended a tradition that foreign policy generally gets minimal bandwidth during election campaigns. Assuming there is no such disruption this time around, we can expect little or no mention of Pacific policy as voting day draws near. If there is a change of government on May 3, regional engagement could look quite different in the next three years.

3 weeks ago | benarnews.org | Tess Newton Cain

When Solomon Islands and China signed a security agreement during Australia’s last national poll in 2022, they upended a tradition that foreign policy generally gets minimal bandwidth during election campaigns. Assuming there is no such disruption this time around, we can expect little or no mention of Pacific policy as voting day draws near. If there is a change of government on May 3, regional engagement could look quite different in the next three years.

1 month ago | thejakartapost.com | Tess Newton Cain

Strategic engagement between the nations of the Pacific and their partners has now well and truly switched to overt security transactionalism, from soft to hard diplomacy. The explicit position emanating from the United States under the Trump administration reflects what has already been happening in the Pacific, particularly with the region’s largest aid donor Australia.

1 month ago | benarnews.org | Tess Newton Cain

Strategic engagement between the Pacific and its partners has now well and truly switched to overt security transactionalism, from soft to hard diplomacy. The explicit position emanating from the United States under the Trump administration reflects what has already been happening in the Pacific, particularly with the region’s largest aid donor Australia.

2 months ago | thejakartapost.com | Tess Newton Cain

t came as no surprise to see United States President Donald Trump sign executive orders to again pull out of the Paris Agreement, or from the World Health Organization (WHO), but the immediate suspension of US international aid has compounded the impact beyond what was imagined possible. The slew of executive orders signed within hours of Trump re-entering the White House and others since have caused consternation for Pacific leaders and communities and alarm for those operating in the region.