This course has been adjusted for remote participation in Semester 1 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. On-campus activities may also be available.
Since 2009 there has been a fundamental shift in the way that the Pacific Island states engage with regional and world politics. The region has experienced, what Kiribati President Anote Tong has aptly called, a 'paradigm shift' in ideas about how Pacific diplomacy should be organised , and on what principles it should operate. Many leaders have called for a heightened Pacific voice in global affairs and a new commitment to establishing Pacific Island control of this diplomatic process.
This change in thinking has been expressed in the establishment of new channels and arenas for Pacific diplomacy at the regional and global levels and new ways of connecting the two levels through active use of intermediate diplomatic associations. This 'new' Pacific diplomacy has seen real success in diplomatic outcomes in key sectors of global negotiations for pacific states such as fisheries, climate policy, decolonisation and trade.
This course examines this new diplomatic agency on the part of pacific island states and explores its impact on relations with larger states-such as Australia, China, France and Indonesia- as well as on the shape of the regional institutional architecture. It also questions what this experience tells us about the power of small states to influence diplomatic outcomes in world affairs.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand the foreign policy priorities of Pacific stats, and the constraints and resources influencing their diplomatic efforts to pursue them.
- Understand the role of regional diplomacy and regional institutions in Pacific diplomacy.
- Understand the political significance of ‘new pacific diplomacy’ in relation to a changing regional order in the Pacific.
- Analyse the impact of the new pacific diplomacy on diplomatic outcomes in fisheries, climate change, decolonisation, trade and global positioning.
- Critically assess the implication of the new pacific diplomacy experience for the broader debate about the power of small states to influence diplomatic outcomes in world affairs.
Indicative Assessment
- Reflection paper 1 (500 - 1,000 words) (10) [LO 1,3]
- Reflection paper 2 (500 - 1,000 words) (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Reflection paper 3 (500 - 1,000 words) (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Reflection paper 4 (500 - 1,000 words) (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Short Essay (1,000 words) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Major Essay (3,000 - 4,000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
An average of 10 hours per week in reading, assessment tasks and class attendance
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Prescribed Texts
Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte, eds., The New Pacific Diplomacy, ANU Press 2015Preliminary Reading
Epeli Hau’ofa, Our Sea of Islands, The Contemporary Pacific, 6:1, Spring 1994Margaret Jolly, ‘Imagining Oceania: Indigenous and Foreign Representations of a Sea of Islands’, The Contemporary Pacific, 19:2, 2007
Stewart Firth, ‘The Pacific Islands and the Globalization Agenda’, The Contemporary Pacific, 12:1, Spring 2000
Epeli Hau’ofa, ‘The Ocean in Us’, The Contemporary Pacific, 10;2, Fall 1998
Stewart Firth, ‘New Developments in the International Relations of the Pacific Islands’, Journal of Pacific History, vol 48: 3, 2013
Nic Maclellan, ‘The New Players in the Region’, Islands Business, February 2013
Sandra Tarte, ‘Regionalism and Changing Regional Order in the Pacific Islands’, Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, ANU, 1 (2), 2014
Terence Wesley Smith, ‘Re-ordering Oceania: China’s Rise, Geopolitics, and Security in the Pacific Islands, Michael Powles, ed., China and the Pacific: The View from Oceania, Victoria University Press, 2016
Greg Fry, ‘International Cooperation in the South Pacific: From Regional Integration to Collective Diplomacy’, In Andrew Axline (ed.) The Political Economy of Regional Cooperation, Pinter Publishers, London, 1994
Sandra Tarte, ‘Regional Strategies: The Pacific Islands and Japan’, The Journal of Pacific Studies, Vol.22, 1998
Sandra Tarte, ‘Managing Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific: A Regional Success Story?’ in Jenny Bryant-Tokalau and Ian Frazer, eds., Redefining the Pacific? Regionalism - Past, Present and Future, Ashgate, 2006
Eric Shibuya, ‘Roaring Mice Against the Tide: The Pacific Islands and Agenda Building on Global Warming’, Pacific Affairs, Winter, 1996-7, pp.541-555.
Greg Fry, ‘Recapturing the Spirit of 1971: Towards a New Regional Political Settlement in the Pacific’, SSGM Discussion Paper, 2015/3, ANU, 2015
Nic Maclellan, ‘Transforming the Regional Architecture: New Players and Challenges for the Pacific Islands, Asia Pacific Issues, no 118, East West Center, 2015
Kaliopate Tavola, ‘Towards a New Regional Diplomacy Architecture’ in Fry and Tarte, eds., The New Pacific Diplomacy, ANU press, 2015
Rowan Callick, ‘Fiji Wants Australia out of Pacific Islands Forum’, The Australian, 6 April 2015
Tess Newton Cain, ‘The Renaissance of the Melanesian Spearhead Group’, Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte, eds; The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015)
Sovaia Marawa, ‘Negotiating the Melanesia Free Trade Area’, Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte, eds; The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015)
Josie Tamate, ‘Regionalism: The Experience of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement’, In Brief, SSGM, ANU, 2014/31
Dame Meg Taylor, ‘The Future of the Pacific Islands Forum and the Framework for Pacific Regionalism’ in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte eds; The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015).
Claire Slatter, in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte eds; The New Framework for Pacific Regionalism: Old kava in a new tanoa? The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015)
Maureen Penjueli, ‘Civil Society and the Political Legitimacy of Regional Institutions: An NGO perspective’ in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte eds; The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015).
Sandra Tarte, ‘A New Pacific Regional Voice? The Pacific Islands Development Forum’, in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte eds; The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015)
Nic Maclellan, ‘Pacific Diplomacy and Decolonisation in the 21st century’ in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte eds., The New Pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015)
Nic Maclellan, ‘”Hijacking Decolonisation”: French Polynesia at the UN’, Inside Story, 31 may 2013
Nic Maclellan, ‘The Diplomacy of Decolonisation 2-Siding with France in the Pacific’, Pacific Scoop, 2 November 2012
Nic Maclellan, ‘The Diplomacy of Decolonisation’, New Matilda, 24 October 2012
Charlene Lanyon, ‘Pacific Islands Forum Receives Numerous Submissions about West Papua’, Fiji Times, 21 June 2016
Patrick M. Walsh, The Pacific is divided on West Papua, East Asia Forum, 5 November 2016
Dr Jason Macleod, Rosa Moiwend and Jasmine Pilbrow, A Historic Choice: West Papua, Human Rights and Pacific Diplomacy at the Pacific Islands Forum and Melanesian Spearhead Group
Nic MacLellan, ‘West Papua High On Pacific Islands Agenda’, Lowy Interpreter, 22 January 2017
Jason Macleod, ‘A new hopeful chapter in West Papua’s 50- year freedom struggle’, August 2015
Johnny Blades, ‘Forum Urged to Act Decisively on West Papua’, Radio NZ, 11 August 2016
PIANGO Hopes UN Sec Gen will act on West Papua, Dateline Pacific, 8 June 2016
Nicollette Goulding, ‘Marshalling a Pacific Response to Climate Change’ in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte, eds. The New Pacific Diplomacy, ANU Press, 2015
George Carter, ‘Establishing a Pacific Voice in the Climate Change Negotiations’
in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte, eds. The New Pacific Diplomacy, ANU Press, 2015
Samisoni Pareti, ‘Climate Change: De Brum’s Coalition a “Show”’, Islands Business, February 2016
Yasmine Ryan, ‘COP 15 and Pacific Island states: A collective voice on climate change’, Pacific Journalism Review, 16 (1) 2010
Carola Betzold, ‘“Borrowing” Power to Influence International Negotiations: AOSIS in the Climate Change Regime, 1990—1997’, Politics, 30 (3) 2010
‘Kiribati President pleas for aid as island country submerges’, The World Today, 13 August 2015
‘A Question of Survival: Why Australia and New Zealand must heed the Pacific’s calls for stronger action on climate change’, Oxfam, September 2015
Genevieve Quirk and Quentin Hanich, ‘Ocean Diplomacy: The Pacific Island Countries’ Campaign to the UN for an Ocean Sustainable Development Goal’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Oceans Law and Policy, 1 (2016)
Transform Aqorau, ‘How Tuna is Shaping Regional Diplomacy’ in Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte eds The New pacific Diplomacy (ANU Press 2015)
Transform Aqorau, ‘State of the Pacific – Slippery Slopes and Rough Rides in Regional Cooperative Endeavours in the Islands’, SSGM Discussion paper, ANU, 2016/8
Josie Tamate, ‘Regionalism: The Experience of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement’, In Brief, SSGM, ANU, 2014/31
Sandra Tarte, ‘Managing Tuna Fisheries in the Pacific: A Regional Success Story?’ in Jenny Bryant-Tokalau and Ian Frazer, eds., Redefining the Pacific? Regionalism - Past, Present and Future, Ashgate, 2006
Sandra Tarte, ‘Regionalism and Changing Regional Order in the Pacific Islands’, Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, ANU, 1 (2), 2014
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $4110 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $5880 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3585 | 22 Feb 2021 | 01 Mar 2021 | 31 Mar 2021 | 28 May 2021 | In Person | View |
