| Publication |
2006.
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| Summary/Abstract |
A multilateral regional intervention into the Solomon Islands in 2003 was led and staffed primarily by Australia. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands signals a sea change in the way Australia views its place in the region, and its subsequent activities ('enhanced cooperation' in Papua New Guinea, and the unprecedented election of an Australian as Secretary General of the Forum) suggest that Australia may now be willing to play a more active (and activist) role in Oceania. Much of the drive for this activism, however, is being driven by events and perceptions of threats from outside of 'Oceania', especially from Southeast Asia. Rather than reifying conceptualizations of what a 'region' is, policy-makers would do better to understand how events from one region can drive policy in another. This in fact makes the effectiveness of regional institutions even more important to build multilateral agreements that extend even further than before.
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