The Impact of France on Conflict and Stability in The
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE IMPACT OF FRANCE ON CONFLICT AND STABILITY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Political Science in the University of Canterbury by Matthew David Nichols University of Canterbury 2007 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................4 Abstract ..........................................................................................................5 Acronyms and Abbreviations .......................................................................6 Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................7 Chapter Outline..................................................................................................................... 9 The Status of France’s South Pacific Dependencies........................................................... 11 Definition of Key Concepts ................................................................................................ 14 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................18 General Accounts................................................................................................................ 18 Accounts of French Regional Policy................................................................................... 19 Critical / Anti-French Authors ............................................................................................ 28 Pro-French / Loyalist Authors............................................................................................. 29 New Caledonia.................................................................................................................... 33 French Polynesia................................................................................................................. 36 Key Findings....................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 3: Theoretical Considerations: Identifying Key Variables .........40 Definition of Concepts........................................................................................................ 40 Key Variables...................................................................................................................... 42 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 45 Theoretical Limitations....................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 4: the Impact of France on Conflict and Stability in New Caledonia......................................................................................................48 Key Points on the Historical Role of France in New Caledonian Conflict......................... 49 The French Impact from 1985 to 2006 ............................................................................... 51 The Matignon Accords: June 26 1988 ................................................................................ 62 The Noumea Accord: May 5 1998...................................................................................... 68 Tentative Hypothesis for the Future of New Caledonia...................................................... 76 Chapter Conclusion............................................................................................................. 82 Chapter 5: the Impact of France on Conflict and Stability in French Polynesia ......................................................................................................86 Key Points on the Historical Role of France in French Polynesian Conflict...................... 89 The Impact of the Nuclear Testing...................................................................................... 91 The Impact of Gaston Flosse on Local Stability................................................................. 97 The 2004 Territorial Elections .......................................................................................... 102 Recent Political Instability ................................................................................................ 104 France and French Polynesia into the post-CEP future..................................................... 110 Development Issues .......................................................................................................... 112 What Future Status for French Polynesia?........................................................................ 115 Chapter Conclusion........................................................................................................... 119 Chapter 6: Analysis ...................................................................................122 Part One: Case Study Findings ......................................................................................... 122 Part Two: Hierarchy of Key Variables.............................................................................. 129 Chapter 7: Conclusion...............................................................................141 Strengths of Investigation ................................................................................................. 141 Limitations of Investigation .............................................................................................. 142 Future Study Implications................................................................................................. 144 Recommendations............................................................................................................. 145 Affluent Dependencies or Struggling Sovereign States? Evaluating the French Presence in the Contemporary Regional Environment ........................................................................ 147 2 Appendix 1: Supplementary Information on New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis-and-Futuna.............................................................151 Appendix 2: Saint-Louis: Inter-ethnic Hostilities in New Caledonia’s post-Noumea Accord Environment..........................................................154 Appendix 3: Recent Political Developments and Problems with ‘Collegiality’ in New Caledonia .................................................................157 Appendix 4: Anti-Nuclearism, Independentists and Autonomists in French Polynesia .......................................................................................159 Appendix 5: France, Flosse and Temaru: Political Destabilisation in French Polynesia following the Territorial Elections of May 2004 ........163 Appendix 6: Recent French Diplomacy in the South Pacific .................167 Appendix 7: French Military Forces in the South Pacific .......................173 Glossary .....................................................................................................174 References .................................................................................................175 Table of Figures Figure 1: Hierarchy of Variables Influencing France's Desire to Retain Sovereign Control of its South Pacific Dependencies ...........................139 Figure 2: France's Global Military Engagement (French Ministry of Defence Website 2006) ..............................................................................173 3 Acknowledgements The author expresses infinite thanks and gratitude to Dr. John Henderson, for his wise supervision and guidance over the course of this study. Many sincere thanks also to Professor Jacob Bercovitch, the Marsden Research Fellowship, the University of Canterbury and the Peace and Disarmament Education Trust. In addition, the author extends thanks and appreciation to S.E.M. Jean-Michel Marlaud, S.E.M. Bruno Gain and Mme. Béatrice Vernaudon for their generous input, as well as to Mr. Alan Williams for his valuable advice. Lastly, special thanks to the Nichols family, Jill Dolby and Pat Ydgren for their encouragement, and to Jessica Escaip for her editing, love and support. 4 Abstract This thesis investigates the impact of France on conflict and stability in the South Pacific from 1985-2006, with a primary focus on France’s two largest regional dependencies: New Caledonia and French Polynesia. It is demonstrated that France had a largely destabilising influence prior to 1988, due to its controversial nuclear testing programme in French Polynesia, its repression of the independence movement in New Caledonia, and its failure to act on the pronounced social and economic imbalances between the local indigenous populations and the settler communities. However, France has played a more positive stabilising role since 1988, by factoring local and indigenous concerns into peace agreements in New Caledonia, disestablishing the French Polynesian nuclear testing programme in 1996, and allowing for greater integration of its dependencies into the region by granting increased autonomy to the territorial governments. Nonetheless, France’s determination to retain sovereignty of its South Pacific dependencies continues to pose a latent threat to stability. The negotiated peace achieved in New Caledonia through the Noumea Accord’s deferred referendum on self-determination contrasts starkly with current political instability in French Polynesia, where the power struggle between Independentist and Loyalist parties has again