a_region_in_transition_cover_v1_Layout 1 09.12.2015 11:25 Seite 1 A Region in Transition Politics and Power in the Pacific Island Countries s e i r t n u o C d n a l s I c i f i Around one third of the Earth’s surface is covered by the Pacific c Edited by a P Ocean. When looking at “the“ Pacific, public and scientific dis - course – especially in Europe - is mostly centered on the peri - e h Andreas Holtz t phery of this ocean, which includes important actors like n i Australia, the USA, Russia, China, Japan as well as the boo - r Matthias Kowasch ming Asian and Latin-American states. e w This ignores that the Pacific itself is not only covered by water, o P but is also a political space in the sense of different political Oliver Hasenkamp d units summarized in the term of Pacific Island Countries n a (PICs). In fact, the Pacific Islands Region has been one of the s c politically most dynamic regions of the world in the last de - i t i cade and even more so today. There are ongoing transforma - l tions to regionalism and the regional system of cooperation, o P in national politics and in the relationships to larger actors as – well as the international activities of the Pacific Island States. n o i t This book brings together renowned international experts on i politics in Oceania as well as researchers and scholars from s n Germany to provide a comprehensive overview of many of a r T these current developments and issues in the Pacific Islands n i Region. It offers a theoretical framework as well as contribu - n tions analysing actors, institutions and structures in Oceania, o i substantiated by case studies from various island states. g e R A universaar Universitätsverlag des Saarlandes Saarland University Press Presses universitaires de la Sarre Andreas Holtz, Matthias Kowasch, Oliver Hasenkamp (eds) A Region in Transition Politics and Power in the Pacific Island Countries universaar Universitätsverlag des Saarlandes Saarland University Press Presses Universitaires de la Sarre Sponsored by the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany. This book project has been kindly supported by the German Pacific Network/Pazifik-Netzwerk e.V. (www.pazifik-netzwerk.org) © 2016 universaar Universitätsverlag des Saarlandes Saarland University Press Presses Universitaires de la Sarre Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken ISBN 978-3-86223-102-7 gedruckte Ausgabe ISBN 978-3-86223-103-4 Online-Ausgabe URN urn:nbn:de:bsz:291-universaar-1439 Projektbetreuung und Umschlaggestaltung: universaar Satz: Andreas Holtz, Matthias Kowasch, Oliver Hasenkamp Coverbild: Sven Fischer Kartografie: Matthias Kowasch Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen National bibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.d-nb.de> abrufbar. III Foreword Dear readers, the joint history of Germany and the South Pacific dates far back. Romanti- cized pictures of the “South Sea” played an important role early on, and they still continue to effect us in notions of holiday dreams underneath palm trees. The pictures of white beaches and blue ocean are not false – however, tangi- ble economic interests attracted the first Germans to come to the Pacific at the end of the 19th century, especially the trade with coco products. The next steps then were territorial claims to protect the trade. New Guinea and Samoa were the largest German protectorates and colonial regions in the Pacific. This is long a thing of the past, but the few decades of colonial presence of the German Empire had manifold impacts on the social history of the is- lands‘ populations, which are still visible in the 21st century – in toponyms, in words with German origins, in the basic principles of education or in the continuing social commitment of the churches. Also in the realms of econo- my and trade there are still significant relations, albeit the emerging Asian states are nowadays unquestionably of more significance for the Pacific Is- land Countries than the former European colonial powers. New links between Germany and the Pacific nations arise from a similar range of interests in global issues, particularly with regard to the challenges of climate change. Germany welcomes that the intensive endeavors of Pacific Island Countries to pool their interests and voices in regional organizations, e.g. in the “Pacific Islands Forum“ (PIF), the “Secretariat of the Pacific Community“ (SPC) and the “Melanesian Spearhead Group“ (MSG). During our inaugural visits to the Pacific islands world we were able to experience the economic and political potentials of the young islands coun- tries ourselves. However, the Pacific Islands continues to need strong partners IV and external assistance to reach the international standards in the fields of good governance, health, education and sustainable resource exploitation and to overcome the still widespread poverty. The Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations will probably be not attainable without deduc- tions in the South Pacific. Thus it is a matter of course that Germany – also as an important actor within the European Union – remains visible and present in the Pacific in order to contribute to the positive development of the region. In 2012 the Federal Foreign Office sponsored a touring exhibition on the colonial history of Germany in Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Palau. Fur- thermore Germany supports development projects in the entire Pacific Islands region as the largest donor under the framework of the European Develop- ment Fund. The Embassies in Canberra and Wellington finance so-called micro-projects in several islands, which serve as models of sustainable pro- gress on the local level. This anthology explores the situation in the Pacific Island Countries in a comprehensive way and thereby creates a reference work of special value for everyone who is connected to this fascinating region. We thank the initiators and the authors for this unique compilation! Dr. Anne-Marie Schleich, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in New Zealand Dr. Christoph Müller, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Australia V Content Andreas Holtz / Matthias Kowasch / Oliver Hasenkamp Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Joanne Wallis Is Oceania a Regional Security Complex? ..................................................... 17 Andreas Holtz Regional Action in the Face of Global Turning Points and Regional Asymmetries .................................................................................................. 47 Andreas Holtz Reweighted Islands or Restructuring the Islands? Australia as a Regional Power in Oceania .......................................................................... 107 Derek McDougall China and Oceania ....................................................................................... 169 Henning Blatt The Pacific Islands Forum as a Peace and Security Policy Player in Oceania ................................................................ 185 Oliver Hasenkamp The Pacific Island Countries and International Organizations: Issues, Power and Strategies ........................................................................ 227 Eike Blitza Shared Sovereignty in the South Pacific Region? ........................................ 267 Peter Lindenmann Conflict Transformation, Sovereignty and State Building in New Caledonia ............................................................................................. 287 Graham Hassall Democracy in the Pacific: Tensions between “System and Life-world” ...... 313 VI Hermann Mückler Self-confidence and a New Self-understanding as Opportunities and Challenges for the Future Development of Pacific Island Countries ........... 361 Geoff Bertram Sovereignty and Material Welfare ............................................................... 385 Clement A. Tisdell The MIRAB Model of Small Island Economies in the Pacific and their Security Issues .............................................................................................. 431 Klaus Schilder The Economic Relations between the Pacific and the EU: Negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement exemplified by the Fisheries Sector ................................................................................. 451 Matthias Kowasch Mining in the Pacific Island Countries: Opportunities and Risks ................ 475 Volker Böge Mining, War and Peacebuilding on Bougainville ........................................ 515 Sinclair Dinnen The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands — Achievements, Transitions and Prospects ............................................................................. 539 Manuel Schmitz Australian Military Interventions in East Timor: Real- or Moralpolitik at work? ........................................................................................................ 561 Steven Ratuva Shifting Sands: Fiji’s Foreign Policy and Geopolitical Reconfiguration of the Pacific ................................................................................................ 585 Manfred Ernst Perceptions and Preconditions for Democratic Development in Fiji ........... 609 Notes on Contributors .................................................................................. 645 Introduction Andreas Holtz/Matthias Kowasch/Oliver Hasenkamp Around one third of the Earth’s surface