U.S. in the Pacific Islands

President Biden had to cancel his trip to the Pacific Island country, so Secretary of State Blinken oversaw the signing of new deals with Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and Palau.

Biden was set to be the first sitting U.S. president to visit any Pacific Island nation. Not anymore.

COFA migrants’ struggle to access Medicaid is a microcosm of the inequities that still plague the U.S. approach to Pacific Island communities. 

Metaphorical mines litter the landing site for the Marines at Camp Blaz, from a lack of preparedness to a lack of true community consent.

Besides being the right thing to do, apologies bring diplomatic and political gains in a region haunted by colonial and imperial atrocities.

Increased French-U.S. cooperation in the region should be welcome news to Pacific Island states.

For all the talk of China and geopolitics, climate change and funding remained at the top of Pacific leaders’ agenda.

Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele explained why his government was going to refuse to sign the pact.

The U.S. and Australia cannot meaningfully counter China’s rising influence without addressing the Pacific Islands’ top concern.

A U.S. return to the Pacific could yield great benefit, but that return has to be done right, and it should start with an upscaling of America’s Pacific literacy.

What do people of the Pacific Islands think about China’s plans for the region and the U.S. response?