Political Reviews 0LFURQHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\ WR-XQH david w kupferman, kelly g marsh, samuel f mcphetres, tyrone j taitano 3RO\QHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\WR-XQH lorenz gonschor, hapakuke pierre leleivai, margaret mutu, forrest wade young 7KH&RQWHPSRUDU\3DFL²F9ROXPH1XPEHU¥ E\8QLYHUVLW\RI+DZDL©L3UHVV 169 political reviews micronesia 177 guam-little-apprehension-north-koreas who has apparently made the issue the -threatened-attack [accessed 9 Oct 2013] primary focus of his cabinet portfolio. Saipan Tribune. Daily. Garapan, Saipan. At the United Nations climate meeting http://www.saipantribune.com/ in Doha, Qatar, in December 2012, de Brum announced that the theme of Washington Post. 2013. Anthony Babauta: Why He Matters. 29 January. the September 2013 Forum meeting http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ was to be climate change, and specifi- anthony-babauta/gIQAorLkAP_topic.html cally how the Pacific Island heads of state can take a greater leadership role on the issue globally (MIJ, 21 Dec 2012). De Brum followed this up with an appearance at an “Arria-formula” Marshall Islands meeting of the UN Security Council The period under review in the Repub- on 15 February 2013. (Arria-formula lic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) meetings are not officially classified as was focused largely on the impacts meetings by the United Nations, and of climate change, both physical and records or transcripts of the proceed- political, as well as on preparations ings are not kept.) Despite the infor- for hosting the 44th annual Pacific mal nature of the meeting, which was Islands Forum in Majuro in Septem- organized by the United Kingdom ber 2013. Additionally, clear lines and Pakistan, de Brum’s speech was were drawn within the RMI national available on the Internet and a video government, specifically in terms of report about the meeting was picked government spending, as well as in the up by the online video magazine Slate context of relations with the United V (2013). In the speech (and repeated States, which continued to be strained in Slate’s report), de Brum arguably over the past twelve months largely made a dubious connection between due to tensions surrounding concerns the drought in the northern atolls that about funding under the Compact of had begun in January 2013 and the Free Association and a US Department water company’s rationing schedule in of State report on human traffick- Majuro, which was unaffected by the ing. One bright spot was the seem- drought at the time of the speech. The ing progress toward a constitutional minister then announced the drafting convention, which, while put on hold of a Majuro Declaration, which he due to the upcoming Forum, appears said would call on all nations to com- likely to take place some time in 2014 mit, through their own actions, to lim- and, unlike the climate-change situ- iting global warming to less than two ation, may give the Marshall Islands degrees (de Brum 2013). The Marshall the opportunity to produce tangible Islands will present the declaration for results. formal approval at the 2013 Forum. The topic of climate change was The drought in the northern foremost on the minds of the RMI atolls did worsen, and in May RMI government, and especially Minister President Christopher Loeak’s cabinet in Assistance to the President and declared it a disaster area, after which Kwajalein Senator Tony de Brum, relief in the form of money and sup- 178 the contemporary pacific 26:1 (2014) plies began to pour into the country. areas and knocking down a section of The Republic of China (Taiwan), the seawall along the airport runway, Japan, and the Asian Development leading to flight cancellations (John- Bank each donated $100,000 to the son 2013; MIJ, 28 June 2013). relief efforts in May, as did Australia Yet despite the sustained talk (which then sent another $385,000 lamenting the very real effects of in June). Most significant was the climate change, the RMI government move by US President Barack Obama, pushed ahead with the $15.7 million who signed a disaster declaration on airport runway expansion project 14 June 2013, which was followed funded by the US Federal Aviation shortly thereafter by $1 million in Administration (usfaa), resulting rapid-response aid from the United in the continued dredging of healthy Nations, announced by UN Emer- coral reefs in Majuro Lagoon. This gency Relief Coordinator Valerie action in turn decreases the dynamic Amos, to be available by the end of natural capacity of the atoll to respond the month. A few days later, RMI to rising sea levels. The project had National Water Adviser Tom Vance been temporarily halted due to the described the situation in Enewetak efforts of Dr Dean Jacobson, a long- and Utrik atolls as “dire” and time marine science instructor at the reported that tensions among Islanders College of the Marshall Islands (cmi), were rising. In response, the minister who had been waging a one-person of foreign affairs and trade, Majuro campaign to halt the destruction of Senator Phillip Muller called Vance’s the healthy reefs. However, the RMI comments “an overstatement” and Environmental Protection Author- suggested that the Marshall Islands ity (rmiepa) in mid-2012 approved was doing all it could to deliver relief an environmental impact assessment to the northern atolls (pir, 20 June that allowed the dredging to continue 2013). and authorized the use of a two- While rains returned to the north- hundred-ton crane (MIJ, 3 Aug 2012). ern atolls at the beginning of July, At the end of August 2012, the usfaa the total cost of the drought relief approved the rmiepa’s environmen- was estimated at $4.7 million, which tal impact assessment and use of the ultimately cost the RMI government crane, and contractor Pacific Interna- more than $900,000 after all interna- tional Inc (pii) resumed work on both tional aid had been taken into account dredge sites. On 31 August, rmiepa (MIJ, 21 June 2013). In a sign of things Acting General Manager Lowell Alik possibly to come for low-lying islands filed a complaint with the national should climate change advance, on 25 police, alleging that Jacobson had June, as the drought in the northern stormed into his office on that day and atolls was in full swing, a series of began swearing at him and claiming high waves—compounded by excep- that Alik had lied on the environmen- tionally high tides and swells of six to tal impact assessment. On 4 Septem- eight feet from a local storm—flooded ber, Pacific International Inc filed a Majuro’s southern shore, washing similar complaint, alleging that the completely across the road in some previous day Jacobson had taken cmi political reviews micronesia 179 students on a snorkeling trip within the government that the Marshalls the boundaries of one of the dredge would not have enough hotel rooms sites and began swearing at pii work- to meet the needs of the number of ers (MIJ, 7 Sept 2012). Although the delegates and other visitors connected students who were there denied that to the Forum, especially as the previ- Jacobson had done anything improper ous year’s meeting in the Cook Islands and the complaint was set aside, pres- had been heavily attended, due in part sure was put to bear on cmi President to the appearance of then US Secretary Carl Hacker, who on 31 May 2013 in of State Hillary Clinton. By the end of an open letter to the public finally dis- June, with the Forum budget projec- sociated himself and the college from tion at $2 million, the government had any of Dr Jacobson’s actions advocat- received from donors $800,000, as ing for the protection of the reef (MIJ, well as fifteen cars, almost all of which 31 May 2013). In late August 2013, will become official RMI vehicles fol- Jacobson was informed that his con- lowing the conclusion of the Forum tract would not be renewed beyond (MIJ, 28 June 2013). the 2013–2014 academic year. Mean- Considering Secretary Clinton’s while, the reef dredging continues, and participation in the 2012 Pacific delegates to the Pacific Islands Forum Islands Forum in Rarotonga a new who arrive in Majuro to discuss the precedent for high-level talks with need to protect low-lying islands and the United States at the meeting, the atolls from the ravages of climate RMI government formally invited US change and sea-level rise will, on their Secretary of State John Kerry and UN way into town, first drive by the crane Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (MIJ, dredging some of the last healthy coral 29 March 2013). The United States, from the lagoon. however, delayed confirming the Preparations for the September attendance of any high-level cabinet 2013 Forum, which is only the second members; in early August 2013, a pif meeting hosted by the Marshalls, frustrated Minister in Assistance de were well underway by mid-December, Brum gave an interview with Fox as New Zealand and Australia each News while in Australia and stated provided us$200,000 in aid to assist that “if [Secretary of State Kerry] does with the hosting of the meeting (MIJ, not attend it would be a slap in the 14 Dec 2012). In late January 2013, face and like the United States would Aqua Hotels and Resorts was con- be reversing its so-called pivot to tracted to assist with renovations to the Pacific” (MIJ, 9 Aug 2013). Such the Marshall Islands Resort (which rhetoric only seemed to increase in the had originally been built in 1996 for run-up to the Forum meeting, and it the first Forum hosted by the Mar- is unclear how (or whether) the RMI shall Islands), but by the end of May government will react to the absence Aqua Hotels had pulled out, alleging of Secretary Kerry, should he not that terms of the contract had not attend.