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https://theconversation.com/with-trump-undoing-years-of-progress-can-the-us-salvage-its-pacific-islands-strategy-258679>
"Since 2018, the United States has worked, albeit often haltingly, to regain
its footing with Pacific Island countries. It’s done this largely by reflecting
a sentiment familiar in Pacific capitals: the region is not a geopolitical
backwater, but a crucial strategic zone in the 21st century.
Spurred by China’s strategic expansion – security deals, port access, political
influence – the first Trump presidency and then the Biden administration
renewed the US focus on the Pacific.
Washington was also prodded by regional allies, including New Zealand. In 2018,
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: “We unashamedly ask for the United States
to engage more and we think it is in your vital interests to do so. And time is
of the essence.”
Building on the tentative steps of its predecessor, the Biden administration
acted. It opened new embassies, invited Pacific leaders to the White House,
unveiled a dedicated strategy for the Pacific Islands, and committed to
recognising the Cook Islands and Niue.
It also negotiated more funding for the Compacts of Free Association with the
Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Palau.
Along with the 2022 Pacific Islands Summit, it all signalled Washington’s
desire to be a better partner.
Crucially, the Biden administration recognised climate change and the economy,
not great-power rivalry, as the region’s defining security concerns. Now, much
of that progress is being eroded.
The second Trump administration has gutted key international development
agencies, with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the
Millennium Challenge Corporation shuttered.
More than mere symbols, these agencies were tools of statecraft, facilitating
Washington’s capacity to compete with China’s “no questions asked” development
model. Their removal leaves a vacuum, which Beijing will happily fill."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
