The Pacific Islands include over a dozen countries and territories spanning an area four times the size of the continental United States. The Pacific Islands see themselves not as small island countries, but as large ocean states forming a “Blue Pacific Continent.” The United States is increasingly focusing its attention on the region, particularly amid China’s growing engagement and the impacts of climate change. In support of U.S. government priorities, USIP is pursuing a range of projects focused on peace and stability in the Pacific Islands and elevating dialogue with the region.

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It’s Not Too Late for Solomon Islands’ Truth and Reconciliation Commission

It’s Not Too Late for Solomon Islands’ Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Monday, May 6, 2024

Established in 2008, the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was tasked with investigating the country’s civil conflict that killed 200 people and displaced more than 20,000 others between 1998 and 2003. The commission was the first of its kind in the Pacific Islands region, and its proponents hoped it could heal people’s lasting trauma by addressing human rights violations, promoting national unity and fostering reconciliation.

Type: Analysis

Peace ProcessesReconciliation

In the Pacific, U.S. Risks Letting Down its Closest Partners

In the Pacific, U.S. Risks Letting Down its Closest Partners

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

As the United States seeks to shore up alliances and maintain regional stability amid increasing Chinese competition in the Pacific, it needs to mend strained relations with the island states that are its closest partners. The U.S. government describes Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands as “the bedrock of the U.S. role in the Pacific” and “crucial” to U.S. defense there. After months of delay that have undermined those relationships, the United States this month renewed the funding that underpins their government budgets. But significant bilateral strains will require further U.S. attention.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

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