Big Trouble in the South Pacific

That Fiji is on the verge of a military coup is on a number of front pages today. But behind that headline is a harsher truth: a number of states across the south Pacific have been highly volatile since becoming independent from Britain and France several decades ago. Lacking cohesive civil society, sustainable economy, and reliable political leaders, a number of problems are coming to a slow boil that spell trouble for many island nations, and in turn, their larger continental neighbors.

Fiji: Armed guards patrol the streets as the Prime Minister and Army Chief meet in New Zealand for talks to try and avert a fourth coup in the past twenty years, while the army announces that it is ready to defend against any foreign invasion intervention. Although Fiji has perhaps the most developed economy of the island nations, with sugar exports and a growing tourist industry, it faces numerous hurdles, not least of which the fact the emigration of educated and professional Fijiians.

Solomon Islands: Previously covered here and here, Australia maintains a strong contingent of peace-keeping forces on the islands (with Kiwi troops on the way), but relations between the two governments soured recently when Australia called the island’s economy poor and plagued with corruption.

Tonga: Tonga is perhaps the worst example of political looting and crazy economic experiments. The country has over the past decade proposed or tried: selling passports; searching for oil (despite geological reports indicating no possible fields); making Tonga a nuclear waste disposal site; registering foreign ships, including some which turned out to be working for Al Qaeda; an orbital launch station; and plenty of other schemes that are so peculiar its hard to believe they are real. Perhaps most infamous was the former royal “Court Jester,” who became the country’s finance minister and used the post to embezzle US$26 million, after which he fled the country.

Vanuatu: This island nation faces problems similar to Tonga, mainly political leaders determined to loot the country, aggravated by a breakdown of civil society. One parliamentarian is advocating the legalization of marijuana to address the country’s economic woes.

New Caledonia: A French territory with the underpinings of an export resource economy, New Caledonia has faced an ongoing two month general strike that has shutdown the country. (The strikers are calling for the expulsion of Filipino workers and a reduction in living costs.) This means that New Caledonia is unable to reap the benefits of 19-year highs on nickel prices. What’s worse, another mining project has been shutdown with an injunction issued by a Paris judge in response to a complaint filed by an indigenous group on the island, so the regional economy is hurting and the people with it.

European colonial rule was no picnic. Practices such as blackbirding devastated local populations. But at least in the 20th century, a distant continental mentor guaranteed minimum standards of civil society and good government. This has evaporated with independence, which has brought a return to more primitive governance.

Is there any good news? How about this from Papua New Guinea: the capital of Port Moresby, one of the world’s most dangerous cities, is seeing a boom from Chinese migrants and investment.