Reconciling Regional Security Narratives in the Pacific

Tarte, Sandra

doi:10.1007/s12140-021-09367-w

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Some scholars emphasise that PICs play a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness of foreign aid programmes (Dornan & Brant, 2014), while others highlight the concerns of the Pacific leaders that regional interests may be disregarded and subsumed under the broader Indo-Pacific framing (Wallis & Batley, 2020). Indeed, it has been repeatedly acknowledged that there is a divergence in security understandings between external powers and PICs (Morgan, 2020; Tarte, 2022; Wallis et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Blue Pacific in Search of a Collective Identity: Towards Success in Regional Security amid US–China Rivalry

Wada,

Cavassa,

Ikeda

2024

Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs

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The Pacific Islands region has emerged as one of the central areas where the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is playing out. Thus, to safeguard their own interests, the Pacific Island countries have attempted to manage the competing policies of these external partners. This study focuses the recent adoption of the ‘Blue Pacific concept’ to examine how Pacific Island countries attempt to influence the engagement of their external partners in the region. The formation of the ‘Blue Pacific’ identity must be understood as a mutual process between the Pacific Islands countries and their external partners because they are seeking cooperation with these partners to address the security concerns. We find that the ‘Blue Pacific’ identity formation aligns with region-building, which allows the Pacific Islands countries to stress their own security issues. This study highlights the challenges and opportunities of constructing a collective identity in this context. Finally, the effectiveness of the Blue Pacific strategy remains debatable, although it has yielded success in gaining recognition and support from the external partners.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Blue Pacific in Search of a Collective Identity: Towards Success in Regional Security amid US–China Rivalry

Wada,

Cavassa,

Ikeda

2024

Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs

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“…While such analysis would typically be characterised as a 'debate', that terminology does not capture the high (although not total) level of consensus amongst scholars about the tensions between the 'Indo-Pacific' and 'Blue Pacific' framings (there has been less discussion of the 'Pacific family'). Tarcisius Kabutaulaka (2021), Wesley Morgan (2018Morgan ( , 2020, Sandra Tarte (2021), and Joanne Wallis and James Batley (2020) have all identified that the Australian government's preferred framing, the 'Indo-Pacific', with its implied focus on strategic competition, does not 'map' (Kabutaulaka 2021) well onto the Pacific's 'Blue Pacific' framing, which instead emphasises human and environmental security priorities. However, Batley (2021) has expressed scepticism regarding the consequences for 'productive bilateral relationships in the region'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Batley (2021) has expressed scepticism regarding the consequences for 'productive bilateral relationships in the region'. Morgan (2020) and Tarte (2021) have identified ways to ensure that these framings 'don't talk past each other' (Wallis 2019), by emphasising the potential of converging interests, particularly in the maritime domain. This article builds on this work by conducting the first systematic analysis of the contradictions in Australian official discourse and considering the implications for its regional policy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contradictions in Australia's Pacific Islands discourse

Wallis

2021

Australian Journal of International Affairs

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The Australian government demonstrates strategic anxiety about the 'crowded and complex' geopolitics of the Pacific Islands region. This reflects its broader concerns about geostrategic competition in the 'Indo-Pacific', and its perception that Pacific states are 'small' and 'weak' and therefore vulnerable to influence from potentially hostile powers. Simultaneously, the government has vowed to 'step-up' its engagement with its 'Pacific family', emphasising that its relationships with Pacific states will be characterised by respect for, and listening to them, as equals. But while the government has articulated its intention to improve its relationships with Pacific states, puzzlingly, it adopts policies that undermine this goal. This article analyses how and why this occurs. It outlines what this analysis demonstrates about how leaders and officials perceive the Pacific, what assumptions and habits inform those beliefs, and as the 'step-up' moves from announcement to implementation, how they are translated into behaviour via government policy. It concludes by arguing that Australian leaders and officials should seek consistency in their discourse about, and policies toward, the Pacific, guided by the discourse of the 'Blue Pacific'.

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