Pacific Reflections

We can include Europe and the other Americas, but only to the extent that they are involved in the activities of the Indo-Pacific region.

Once, with the sinking sun behind Tonoas shimmering off the waters of Truk Lagoon in that short, spectacular burst of light, I had a conversation as to whether the scattered islands of Micronesia have much in common.

Guam is the capital of Micronesia. That’s hardly a unique observation. Whatever you want to call the reason, Great Power Geopolitical Play, Trappings of Empire, Expansionism, Injustice, the simple fact of the matter remains that Guam is the economic and social anchor of the Western Pacific known as Micronesia.

This past month brought yet another episode of violence to the American political landscape, and with it, anxiety and nightmares about freedom of expression and whether there even is an American constitutional order.

I don’t know why reporters love anniversaries, but they do, especially when they end in a five or zero. Case in point: this past month, the world marked the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. The two other related anniversaries, the bombing of Nagasaki and the actual surrender ending World War II, oddly didn’t get much play.

Turned out that everything he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was more or less what everyone knows about China’s aspirations in the Pacific. An invasion of Taiwan could happen. It could be imminent. Could be.

Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii reintroduced the “Our Pacific Partnership Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives. Per the article, this legislation would “mandate the Department of State to institute a clear and comprehensive strategy to enhance the United States’s diplomatic posts, defense posture and economic engagements with the Pacific island bloc."

What does the Chuuk election mean for Asia-Pacific? While political federations often lack a clear understanding of what unifies them into a country, the FSM increasingly looks precariously perched between competing visions of China and America. 

Every institution deserves to have its roots shaken from time to time. Most NGOs fall victim to their own foregone conclusions, a de facto

It pains me to defend the international development industry. Granted, we develop unrealistic expectations, then declare failure when the i

I compared Greenland to Chuuk in these pages not too long ago. Two islands itching for full independence, Chuuk from the Federated States of

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Vanuatu on Dec. 16, 2024. Pacific Reflections By Gabriel McCoard I try not to make predictions or even...

Reducing carbon emissions is probably not a policy objective. Increasing them might be.

Will an advisory opinion result in stronger climate protections? Laws without enforcement are just good advice.  –Abraham Lincoln      An...

Citizens from all walks of life throughout the world have long felt an urge to get involved in environmental politics. Every year,...

Tug-of-war is not an Olympic sport, but it should be.   Let me explain. In the latest challenge to Western influence in the Pacific, an...

It turns out that Hawaii is not officially part of NATO. The more I’ve thought about it, the less surprised I am. To explain why, let me...

Shortly after Trump took office, when North Korea was threatening Guam with nuclear annihilation, I managed to convince people back home...

The CNMI’s economy will collapse because nobody will visit, while Guam is being overrun with illegal migrants using the CNMI as a...

I’ve noticed a certain rallying cry in American presidential politics over the past few years. Both Democrats and Republicans scream it,...

Allow me to propose an unpopular idea: Forget about the Pacific islands. From a strategic standpoint, at least. Before you send me hate...

“Elections have consequences.” –Every US Senator who voted against a Supreme Court nominee who got confirmed anyway News media love...

An agreement is only as good as its implementation. This historic consensus is only the beginning of the road.—  H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al...

I once quipped that an island doomsday apocalyptic nightmare that would cause me to force my way onto a plane and get off the island as...

One year, a niece in the throes of adolescence gave me a birthday card in the form of a piece of construction paper torn in half with...

AUKUS. The acronym has a nice ring to it. Perhaps it’s the “K.” It makes me think of a large island-bound bird that is now extinct. It...

A confession from the disaster response implausible deniability industrial complex To say that I was horrified at the news coming out of...

For better or for worse, Palau gets more attention than most of its neighbors. Or any of its neighbors when looking toward Micronesia....

Guam and Chuuk have an icy soulmate: Greenland. With autonomous self-rule except for defense and monetary policy, and perhaps a limited...

By now, either it happened, or it didn’t. Either the United States dove off the fiscal cliff and defaulted on its financial obligations—...

Several years ago, I happened to be in a shopping mall in a random country in Southeast Asia sipping coffee and watching a fashion show....

Despite the shortcomings of human memory, when I lived in Chuuk, I remember reading a blog entry along the lines of “Why I didn’t Join...

I’ll give Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. credit for one thing. Actually, I have tremendous respect for him, so I’ll give him credit...

One afternoon as I was preparing to move to Palau, I uncovered in my local library a copy of “Embattled Island,” one of the few works...

I think I’ve been repeating myself. Granted, most people do that more than they realize, but lately I feel like I’ve been reliving the...

The lighter side of climate change It’s not easy being green. The conferences generate considerable greenhouse gas emissions. Host...

We owe it, therefore, to candor and to the amicable relations existing between the United States and those powers to declare that we...

Or just another day at the office? A word of free advice: if you’re going to try to bribe legislators to create a special zone to attract...

When I first arrived in Palau, I was surprised to hear that gout—a form of inflammatory arthritis whose culprit is uric acid, and whose...

Will Justice Gorsuch give the territories a Brown moment? In 1954, the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed in...

Somewhere in my house, buried in a box of junk, is a phone to repair. This particular phone is the one I used when I lived in Chuuk. It...

I was a hardcore environmentalist when I started college. I’ve since become more pragmatic. I view environmentalism as the web of...

It’s virtually impossible to live in the islands without hearing the word “diaspora” among foreigners. Diaspora itself is a biblical...

What do submarines and Tesla batteries have in common? France’s role in the Pacific, of course. Last September, Australia canceled a $66...

The Conference of the Parties… calls upon parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the...

October 2021 was a big deal for taxes, and not because the extended filing deadline for those required to file a U.S. tax return fell on...

“Tiki: [Māori] A large wooden or small ornamental greenstone image of an ancestor or any human figure.” --Oxford English Dictionary One...

Every few years for the past 15 years or so, a certain obsession grips Pacific Island civil society, which is to say, the media, the...

The recent opinion in Fitisemanu v. United States, in which a federal appeals court ruled that American Samoans are not U.S. citizens,...

American Samoa’s joy is Guam’s defeat — along with that of other island territories We have grave misgivings about forcing the American...