DOCSLIB.ORG

Front Matter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Front Matter Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information Australia and the ‘New World Order’ From peacekeeping to peace enforcement: 1988–1991 This volume of the Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations is the first comprehensive study of Australia’s role in the peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations that developed at the end of the Cold War. Recounting vital missions, it covers the commitment of Australian Army engineers to Namibia in 1989 to establish the election conditions for a new nation. It examines the difficulties experienced by Australian military observers in Iran (1988–1990) following the Iran–Iraq war, and also explains what happened to the mine clearance instructors who worked in Pakistan and Afghanistan (1989–1993). This important volume has a strong focus on Australia’s reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, including its maritime interception operations, and its controversial participation in the 1991 Gulf War. With access to all relevant Australian Government records and through extensive interviews with participants, David Horner explains the high-level political background to these activities. He analyses the conduct of the missions and in so doing, brings to life the little-known, yet remarkable stories of many individuals who took part. Australia and the ‘New World Order’ is an authoritative, comprehensive and compelling history of how members of the Australian Defence Force engaged with the world at a crucial time in international affairs. David Horner is Professor of Australian defence history in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. In 2004 he was appointed the Official Historian of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations, and in 2009 was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to military history. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations (Series Editor: David Horner) Volume II Australia and the ‘New World Order’: From Peacekeeping to Peace Enforcement: 1988–1991 David Horner © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN PEACEKEEPING, HUMANITARIAN AND POST-COLD WAR OPERATIONS Australia and the ‘New World Order’ From peacekeeping to peace enforcement: 1988–1991 David Horner © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao˜ Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521765879 c Australian National University 2011 This publication is copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2011 Edited by Cathryn Game Designed by Liz Nicholson, DesignBITE Printed in China by Printplus A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication data Horner, D. M. (David Murray), 1948– Australia and the new world order : from peacekeeping to peace enforcement: 1988–1991 / David Horner. 9780521765879 (hbk.) Official history of Australian peacekeeping, humanitarian and post-cold war operations; 2. Includes index. Bibliography. Peacekeeping forces–Australia–History. Peace-building, Australian–History. Iraq-Kuwait Crisis, 1990–1991–Participation, Australian. Persian Gulf War, 1991–Participation, Australian. Australia–Armed Forces–Political activity–History. 355.3570994 ISBN 978-0-521-76587-9 Hardback Reproduction and communication for educational purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of the pages of this work, whichever is the greater, to be reproduced and/or communicated by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited Level 15, 233 Castlereagh Street Sydney NSW 2000 Telephone: (02) 9394 7600 Facsimile: (02) 9394 7601 E-mail: [email protected] Reproduction and communication for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act (for example a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information Contents List of maps page x Preface xi Chronology 1987–91 xix Abbreviations xxiii PART 1 STRATEGY AND POLICY 1 Towards a ‘new world order’: Global political, strategic and peacekeeping developments: 1988–91 3 Impact of the Cold War 5 End of the Cold War 7 The new world order 12 Revival of UN peacekeeping 15 Evolution of UN peacekeeping 18 Implications of the ‘new world order’ 23 2 Responding to a new world order: Australia’s policy towards overseas deployments and peacekeeping: 1988–91 25 The beginning of Australian peacekeeping: 1947–50 26 Forward defence and peacekeeping: 1950–72 28 Self-reliance and peacekeeping: 1972–82 31 The Hawke Government and peacekeeping 36 Developing Australia’s defence policy 39 Foreign policy and peacekeeping 44 PART 2 NEW MAJOR PEACE OPERATIONS 3 An international obligation: Australia’s commitment to Namibia: 1979–89 53 A sacred trust 54 Australia’s initial commitment 58 End of a Cold War conflict 69 Australia’s final commitment 75 Situation in Namibia 81 4 Establishing the force: The first UNTAG contingent: March–August 1989 83 Early days 86 Swapo incursion 89 Operation Piddock 91 Reflections on Operation Piddock 96 Arrival of the main body 100 Military organisation 101 Untag’s mission 102 Australian engineer tasks 105 Working and living environment 109 End of tour 117 v © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information Contents 5 Success in Namibia: The second UNTAG contingent: September 1989 – April 1990 119 Preparing for the elections 122 Operation Poll Gallop 126 After the election 133 Working and living conditions 134 Withdrawal 137 Conclusion 141 6 Shadows from a distant war: Australia and the Iran–Iraq War: 1980–88 144 Origins of the Iran–Iraq War 145 Course of the war 147 Australian policy 151 Chemical warfare 153 Tanker war 157 Trade 169 War of the cities 170 United Nations peace initiatives 172 7 A mission of presence: Military observers in Iran: 1988–90 176 Establishing the mission 177 Early problems 182 Living conditions 185 The later contingents 187 Observer operations 188 Risks 195 Working with the United Nations 197 End of the mission 200 Aftermath 202 8 The genesis of humanitarian demining: The UNMCTT in Pakistan: 1989–91 206 Soviet occupation 207 Australian policy 210 Operation Salam 211 Australian involvement 214 First contingent: July–November 1989 217 Contingents 2 to 5: 1989–91 225 Changes to the program’s structure 226 Changes to the Australians’ tasks 230 Security concerns 231 Working and living conditions 234 Conclusion 236 9 Balancing the risks: Mine-clearers in Pakistan and Afghanistan: 1991–93 238 Sixth contingent: March–September 1991 239 Seventh contingent: September 1991 – February 1992 242 Australia’s expanding role 244 Eighth and ninth contingents: February 1992 – January 1993 245 Cross-border operations 249 Working and living conditions 254 Ending the commitment 257 An enduring legacy 262 vi © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76587-9 - Australia and the ‘New World Order’ David Horner Frontmatter More information Contents PART 3 THE FIRST GULF WAR 10 In defence of vital interests: Committing a naval force: August 1990 269 Origins of the 1991 Gulf War 271 Australia–Iraq relations: July 1988–July 1990 280 International and Australian reaction 288 Committing a naval force 293 11 Off to the Gulf: The first deployment: August–September 1990 303 The Royal Australian Navy in 1990 304 Selecting the ships 306 Preparing the ships
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Voice Pipe June 2021
    TINGIRA AUSTRALIA TINGIRA AUSTRALIA VOICEPIPE JUNE 2021 TINGIRA Welcome National Committee BRAD MURPHY Tingira President ANZAC DAY National Roundup JOHN JRTS Billy Stokes PERRYMAN 1st Intake 2021 Stonehaven Medal TINGIRA.ORG.AU PATRON CHAIRMAN VADM Russ Crane Lance Ker AO, CSM, RANR QLD ACT TINGIRA NATIONAL COMMITTEE 2021 - 2024 PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT SECRETARY TREASURER Brad Murphy - QLD Chris Parr - NSW Mark Lee - NSW David Rafferty - NSW COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE Darryn Rose - NSW Jeff Wake - WA Graeme Hunter - VIC Paul Kalajzich - WA Kevin Purkis - QLD TINGIRA AUSTRALIA VOICEPIPE JUNE 2021 DISTRIBUTION & CORRESPONDENCE E. [email protected] W. tingira.org.au • All official communication and correspondence for Tingira Australia Association to be sent in writing (email) to the Association Secretary, only via email format is accepted. • No other correspondence (social media) in any format will be recognised or answered • VoicePipe is published 2-3 times annually on behalf of the Committee for the Tingira Australia Association Inc, for members and friends of CS & NSS Sobraon, HMAS Tingira, HMAS Leeuwin and HMAS Cerberus Junior Recruit Training Schemes FRONT COVER • VoicePipe is not for sale or published as a printed publication John Perryman with his • Electronic on PDF, website based, circulation refurbished antique 25 cm worldwide Admiralty Pattern 3860A signalling projector • Editors - Secretary & Tingira Committee • Copyright - Tingira Australia Association Inc. Photograph 1 January 2011 Meredith Perryman WHEEL to MIDSHIPS Welcome - Tingira National Committee ife is like a rolling predict that we move through stone, well so be the rest of 2021 with more L it. confidence on life than the Here at Tingira, we don’t experience of the 2020 Covid “ year.
    [Show full text]
  • Wave Climate of Tuvalu
    WAVE CLIMATE OF TUVALU Stephen F. Barstow and Ola Haug OCEANOR' November 1994 SOPAC Technical Report 203 'OCEANOR Oceanographic Company of Norway AS Pir-Senteret N-7005 Trondheim Norway The Wave Climate of Tuvalu Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 2. SOME BASICS ....................................................................................................... 2 3 . OCEANIC WINDS ................................................................................................... 3 3.1 General Description ............................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Representativity of the measurement period ........................................................................ 5 3.3 Winds in the source region for swell ..................................................................................... 5 4 . OCEAN WAVES ..................................................................................................... 7 4.1 Buoy Measurements .............................................................................................................. 7 4.2 Ocean Wave Statistics .......................................................................................................... 8 5 . SPECIAL EVENTS ................................................................................................ 13 5.1 Tropical Cyclone Uma ........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945
    University of Wollongong Thesis Collections University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Year The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 Karl James University of Wollongong James, Karl, The final campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945, PhD thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2005. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 This paper is posted at Research Online. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/467 The Final Campaigns: Bougainville 1944-1945 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy from University of Wollongong by Karl James, BA (Hons) School of History and Politics 2005 i CERTIFICATION I, Karl James, declare that this thesis, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, is wholly my work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Karl James 20 July 2005 ii Table of Contents Maps, List of Illustrations iv Abbreviations vi Conversion viii Abstract ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 ‘We have got to play our part in it’. Australia’s land war until 1944. 15 2 ‘History written is history preserved’. History’s treatment of the Final Campaigns. 30 3 ‘Once the soldier had gone to war he looked for leadership’. The men of the II Australian Corps. 51 4 ‘Away to the north of Queensland, On the tropic shores of hell, Stand grimfaced men who watch and wait, For a future none can tell’. The campaign takes shape: Torokina and the Outer Islands.
    [Show full text]
  • Anzac Parade and Our Changing Narrative of Memory1
    Anzac Parade and our changing narrative of memory1 IAN A. DEHLSEN Abstract Australian historian Ken Inglis once called Canberra’s Anzac Parade ‘Australia’s Sacred Way’. A quasi-religious encapsulation of the military legends said to define our national character. Yet, it remains to be discussed how the memorials on Anzac Parade have been shaped by these powerful and pervasive narratives. Each memorial tells a complex story, not just about the conflicts themselves but also the moral qualities the design is meant to invoke. The Anzac Parade memorials chart the changing perceptions of Australia’s military experience through the permanence of bronze and stone. This article investigates how the evolving face of Anzac Parade reflects Australia’s shifting relationship with its military past, with a particular emphasis on how shifting social, political and aesthetic trends have influenced the memorials’ design and symbolism. It is evident that the guiding narratives of Anzac Parade have slowly changed over time. The once all-pervasive Anzac legends of Gallipoli have been complemented by multicultural, gender and other thematic narratives more attuned to contemporary values and perceptions of military service. [This memorial] fixes a fleeting incident in time into the permanence of bronze and stone. But this moment in our history—fifty years ago—is typical of many others recorded not in monuments, but in the memories of our fighting men told and retold … until they have passed into the folklore of our people and into the tradition of our countries.2 These were the words of New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister J.R. Marshall at the unveiling of the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial on Anzac Parade, Canberra, in the winter of 1968.
    [Show full text]
  • We Envy No Man on Earth Because We Fly. the Australian Fleet Air
    We Envy No Man On Earth Because We Fly. The Australian Fleet Air Arm: A Comparative Operational Study. This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Murdoch University 2016 Sharron Lee Spargo BA (Hons) Murdoch University I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. …………………………………………………………………………….. Abstract This thesis examines a small component of the Australian Navy, the Fleet Air Arm. Naval aviators have been contributing to Australian military history since 1914 but they remain relatively unheard of in the wider community and in some instances, in Australian military circles. Aviation within the maritime environment was, and remains, a versatile weapon in any modern navy but the struggle to initiate an aviation branch within the Royal Australian Navy was a protracted one. Finally coming into existence in 1947, the Australian Fleet Air Arm operated from the largest of all naval vessels in the post battle ship era; aircraft carriers. HMAS Albatross, Sydney, Vengeance and Melbourne carried, operated and fully maintained various fixed-wing aircraft and the naval personnel needed for operational deployments until 1982. These deployments included contributions to national and multinational combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. With the Australian government’s decision not to replace the last of the aging aircraft carriers, HMAS Melbourne, in 1982, the survival of the Australian Fleet Air Arm, and its highly trained personnel, was in grave doubt. This was a major turning point for Australian Naval Aviation; these versatile flyers and the maintenance and technical crews who supported them retrained on rotary aircraft, or helicopters, and adapted to flight operations utilising small compact ships.
    [Show full text]
  • Australian Department of Defence Annual Report 2001
    DEFENCE ANNUAL REPORT 2001-02 HEADLINE RESULTS FOR 2001-02 Operational S Defence met the Government’s highest priority tasks through: effectively contributing to the international coalition against terrorism playing a major role in assisting East Timor in its transition to independence strengthening Australia’s border security increasing the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) counter-terrorism capability providing substantial assistance to the Bougainville and Solomon Islands’ peace processes supporting civil agencies in curbing illegal fishing in Australian waters. S The ADF was at its highest level of activity since the Vietnam war. Social S 86 per cent of Australians said they were proud of the ADF – the highest figure recorded over the past 20 years. 85 per cent believed the ADF is effective and 87 per cent considered the ADF is well trained. Unacceptable behaviour in the ADF continued to be the community’s largest single concern. (Defence community attitudes tracking, April 2002) S ADF recruiting: Enlistments were up, Separations were down, Army Reserve retention rates were the highest for 40 years. S The new principles-based civilian certified agreement formally recognised a balance between employees’ work and private commitments. S Intake of 199 graduate trainees was highest ever. S Defence was awarded the Australian Public Sector Diversity Award for 2001. HEADLINE RESULTS FOR 2001-02 Financial S Defence recorded a net surplus of $4,410 million (before the Capital Use Charge of $4,634 million), when compared to the revised budget estimate of $4,772 million. S The net asset position is $45,589 million, an increase of $1,319 million or 3% over 2000-01.
    [Show full text]
  • Issue 48, December 2020
    From the President Welcome to this edition of Call the Hands, our last in the Society’s 50th anniversary year. It includes a variety of short articles which are connected through various themes including the RAN’s first ship, HMAS Parramatta (I) and her namesakes. Another connection is the shared anniversary of the Naval Association of Australia (NAA) celebrating its 100th anniversary. Accordingly, we acknowledge our many readers who are members of the NAA. Their service in the RAN (past and present) has contributed to the history of Australia’s great Navy. The Society’s close connection with Parramatta (I) stems from the not insignificant project to recover her bow and stern sections from a Hawksbury River mudflat. These sections are now prominently displayed in Sydney. Additional information about this fascinating project recently came to light and has been published in the December Naval Historical Review now being distributed to members. We also feature a recent NAA commemorative service for HMAS Parramatta (II) and recognition of the commissioning commanding officer of HMAS Parramatta (III), Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths RAN, Rtd. Many interesting and sometimes obscure naval stories remain untold. Occasional paper 97 is a good example. It is the story of a small party of sailors landed in Arnhem Land from HMAS Fremantle (I) in 1958 to observe Japanese pearl fishing operations. This story was shared by Eric Deshon with Australian National Maritime Museum’s oral history volunteers and published in the ANMM’s volunteer newsletter ‘All Hands’ in June 2018. Recording historic events on canvas has been a traditional art form which continues today.
    [Show full text]
  • Land Force Reserves and Homeland Security: Lessons Learned from the Australian Experience
    Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Winter 2004, Vol. 7, Issue 2 LAND FORCE RESERVES AND HOMELAND SECURITY: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE Jeffrey Grey, Australian Defence Force Academy Historians are usually wary of the ‘lessons learned’ approach to the past, an approach that military organisations generally find congenial, even natural. Years ago, Sir Michael Howard pointed to the irritation of military people, led to believe that history offered a sure and steady guide to future directions, on discovering that historians are fickle creatures. Having looked for 'wise teachers who will use their knowledge of the past to explain the present and guide him as to the future', writes Howard, what does our eager, would-be uniformed student find instead? Workmen, busily engaged in tearing up what he had regarded as a perfectly decent highway; doing their best to discourage him from proceeding along it at all; and warning him, if he does, that the surface is temporary, that they have no idea when it will be completed, nor where it leads, and that he proceeds at his own risk.1 This is the equivalent, in terms of the information superhighway perhaps, of a web page permanently under construction, or in conference terms, of a Powerpoint presentation without end. In attempting to draw lessons from Australian use of reserve forces in recent deployments overseas, and the implications for homeland defence that arise from them, a number of qualifications and caveats have to be made. Indeed, until very recently much of the evidence on which extrapolations might be based is of a negative kind, making a ‘lessons learned’ approach even more problematic than the 1 Michael Howard, ‘The Lessons of History’, in Michael Howard, The Lessons of History, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992, 12.
    [Show full text]
  • Plants of Kiribati
    KIRIBATI State of the Environment Report 2000-2002 Government of the Republic of Kiribati 2004 PREPARED BY THE ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION DIVISION Ministry of Environment Lands & Agricultural Development Nei Akoako MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMEN P.O. BOX 234 BIKENIBEU, TARAWA KIRIBATI PHONES (686) 28000/28593/28507 Ngkoa, FNgkaiAX: (686 ao) 283 n34/ Taaainako28425 EMAIL: [email protected] GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI Acknowledgements The report has been collectively developed by staff of the Environment and Conservation Division. Mrs Tererei Abete-Reema was the lead author with Mr Kautoa Tonganibeia contributing to Chapters 11 and 14. Mrs Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu contributed to chapters 7 to 9. Mr. Farran Redfern (Chapter 5) and Ms. Reenate Tanua Willie (Chapters 4 and 6) also contributed. Publication of the report has been made possible through the kind financial assistance of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. The front coverpage design was done by Mr. Kautoa Tonganibeia. Editing has been completed by Mr Matt McIntyre, Sustainable Development Adviser and Manager, Sustainable Economic Development Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). __________________________________________________________________________________ i Kiribati State of the Environment Report, 2000-2002 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. I TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Australia's Joint Approach Past, Present and Future
    Australia’s Joint Approach Past, Present and Future Joint Studies Paper Series No. 1 Tim McKenna & Tim McKay This page is intentionally blank AUSTRALIA’S JOINT APPROACH PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE by Tim McKenna & Tim McKay Foreword Welcome to Defence’s Joint Studies Paper Series, launched as we continue the strategic shift towards the Australian Defence Force (ADF) being a more integrated joint force. This series aims to broaden and deepen our ideas about joint and focus our vision through a single warfighting lens. The ADF’s activities have not existed this coherently in the joint context for quite some time. With the innovative ideas presented in these pages and those of future submissions, we are aiming to provoke debate on strategy-led and evidence-based ideas for the potent, agile and capable joint future force. The simple nature of ‘joint’—‘shared, held, or made by two or more together’—means it cannot occur in splendid isolation. We need to draw on experts and information sources both from within the Department of Defence and beyond; from Core Agencies, academia, industry and our allied partners. You are the experts within your domains; we respect that, and need your engagement to tell a full story. We encourage the submission of detailed research papers examining the elements of Australian Defence ‘jointness’—officially defined as ‘activities, operations and organisations in which elements of at least two Services participate’, and which is reliant upon support from the Australian Public Service, industry and other government agencies. This series expands on the success of the three Services, which have each published research papers that have enhanced ADF understanding and practice in the sea, land, air and space domains.
    [Show full text]
  • Unlocking the Inherent Potential of Plant Genetic Resources: Food Security and Climate Adaptation Strategy in Fiji and the Pacifc
    Environment, Development and Sustainability (2021) 23:14264–14323 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01273-8 REVIEW Unlocking the inherent potential of plant genetic resources: food security and climate adaptation strategy in Fiji and the Pacifc Hemalatha Palanivel1 · Shipra Shah2 Received: 20 August 2020 / Accepted: 28 January 2021 / Published online: 17 February 2021 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature 2021 Abstract Pacifc Island Countries (PICs) are the center of origin and diversity for several root, fruit and nut crops, which are indispensable for food security, rural livelihoods, and cultural identity of local communities. However, declining genetic diversity of traditional food crops and high vulnerability to climate change are major impediments for maintaining agri- cultural productivity. Limited initiatives to achieve food self-sufciency and utilization of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for enhancing resilience of agro-ecosystems are other seri- ous constraints. This review focuses on the visible and anticipated impacts of climate ge, on major food and tree crops in agriculture and agroforestry systems in the PICs. We argue that crop improvement through plant breeding is a viable strategy to enhance food security and climatic resilience in the region. The exploitation of adaptive traits: abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, yield and nutritional efciency, is imperative in a world threatened by cli- matic extremes. However, the insular constraints of Fiji and other small PICs are major limitations for the utilization of PGR through high throughput techniques which are also cost prohibitive. Crop Improvement programs should instead focus on the identifcation, conservation, documentation and dissemination of information on unique landraces, com- munity seed banks, introduction of new resistant genotypes, and sustaining and enhancing allelic diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Saving the Nation's Memory Bank an Open Letter to the Prime Minister
    Saving the Nation’s Memory Bank An Open Letter to the Prime Minister We write as friends and supporters of the National Archives of Australia. Some of us are historians, including multiple winners of Prime Minister’s Awards, some are independent writers and researchers, and some are former members of the National Archives Advisory Council. We have differing political viewpoints but share a deep love for the knowledge of Australia’s past embodied in its archives and libraries. We are writing to you because we fear that the integrity of the nation’s premier memory bank, the National Archives of Australia, is in jeopardy and to urge you to secure its future. As the institution created by parliament to maintain the official records of the Commonwealth, the National Archives is one of the pillars of our democracy. It makes decision-making more transparent. It holds governments, past and present, to account. And in the words of Justice Michael Kirby, it ‘holds up a mirror to the people of Australia’. In this respect, the National Archives is not like other cultural institutions, such as museums, galleries and opera houses. Its most important users have yet to be born. The value of many items in its collection may not become apparent for many years because we simply do not know what questions future inquirers may ask. Only in recent years, for example, have researchers begun to tap the riches of the National Archives’ repatriation records, the largest continuous record of the health of any people anywhere, for medical as well as historical research.
    [Show full text]