All the Greenland discussion does give one pause for thought abt Cook Is & the vulnerability of resource-rich popn-poor islands, esp geographically isolated ones. Cld be a more useful exercise for our Nat sec agencies than endless fretting abt China.
More on EU/CPTPP cooperation, Denmark up for considering EU-CPTPP negotiations? "We realized that everything is up in the air these days, so we have to diversify our trade relations," Rasmussen said
asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Pic...
NZ changed from FPTP to MMP in 1990s. History & process in link below. Prob 2 key drivers - public unhappiness at way radical reforms pushed thru in 80s and reality that a no of govts were elected w/o majority of the total vote. elections.nz/democracy-in...
"Acharya deserves credit for imagining a future that extends beyond the binary sometimes advanced by officials in the West that if the United States doesn’t lead, either no one leads or one other single country (read China) will lead." www.aseanwonk.com/p/coming-mul...
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"Investors are starting to think the US administration is losing control of the narrative"
US stocks sink despite tariff reprieve
www.ft.com/content/eb63...
Useful commentary from ASPI on NZ’s response to Kiribati/Cooks issues.
'New Zealand is taking too hasty and too abrasive an approach to Pacific islands, putting leadership in the region on edge. We see this in a bungled attempt to visit Kiribati that led to a threat to withdraw aid and in a tense public stand-off with Cook Islands,' writes Blake Johnson.
This result also indicates that we need to be much more nimble.
On the face of it, the tilt last year twds trad partners & away from the even handed indept fp has placed us at huge risk w/both our major partners. Not the right time now for a public reassessment but internal reflections at least are reqd.
This time is different because the tariffs are on everything.
Flowering rata
Boardwalk on Campbell Is
View down Enderby Island (I think)
Nesting albatross
A diversion from the state of the world. A few pics of my Jan visit to NZ’s sub-Antarctic Islands.
TLDR: not that much. US aid to Pacific 6-7% of aid to the region & vast bulk of it is under Micronesian Compact States Agreements which are not caught by the freeze.
How will Trump's US aid freeze affect the Pacific www.rnz.co.nz/internationa...
Paywalled unfortunately but a NZ version of Temasek needs to get more attention, including detailed commentary on how it wld work.
Singapore has Temasek – Why not KiwiSec for New Zealand? - Matthew Hooton
The King of Tonga apears to be successfully rolling back the democratic reforms of 2010. Add this to turmoil in Samoan governance, constant changes in Vanuatu govts, & a fragile Fiji govt, not to mention the issues in Kanaky/New Caledonia. www.benarnews.org/english/comm...
Lots to discuss. Time to invigorate #CPTPP and move ahead more rapidly with deepening and accessions esp China (and Chinese Taipei). The times demand it, business requires it, the workd needs it! #Tradeworks
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update to this story: a fresh coalition looms with voters again spreading preferences widely. Gloria Julia King may lose her seat according to unofficial results in circulation. However, another woman may win: Marie Louise Milne in Port Vila.
www.canberratimes.com.au/story/886869...
An election day report - now the wait begins for results. Polling day has passed without reports of major incidents (so far) - a few grumbles about voting tweaks like needing ID & long lines. Which would be a triumph given the recent earthquake.
www.northweststar.com.au/story/886768...
Political crisis in Samoa.
Great to see @armbrusters.bsky.social on here. Another addition to the Bsky Pacific community.
When even Biden has abandoned the “Indo-Pacific” terminology.
“Mr. Biden argued that he had turned around the rivalry with China, both by forging new partnerships in the Asian-Pacific region…”
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/u...
www.benarnews.org/english/news...
Solomon Islands Constituent Assembly to reconvene before the end of 2024 after a Bill to extend its deadline to debate and vote on a new Federal Constitution fails to pass parliament. Excellent reporting (with links!) by Georgina Kekea www.tavulinews.com.sb/opposition-c...
The bSky Pacific community is still pretty thin, but I’ve put together a list of acts here that have a Pacific focus or serious interest. Will continue to add to it
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Great job on reporting the earthquake in Vanuatu. (In my Pacific experience, trouble always hit just as I left town, rather than when my deputy was gone).
L’ambassade 🇺🇸 est aplatie. Nous avions 5 agents à l’intérieur, qui ont pu s’extraire in extremis. Avec les répliques, le bâtiment continue de bouger.
#Earthquake We no longer have an embassy, but this evening, with a dozen military personnel, we are preparing the residence: satellite connection, water, electricity, camp beds and so on. We're up and running again, and ready to help our fellow citizens and friends in Vanuatu.
5 dead Skuas sampled on James Ross Island, Antarctica, March 2024. All positive for 2.3.4.4 -confirming the first recorded HPAI-related mortality event in Antarctica (south of 60°S)
👉www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-scie...
