No images? Click here 20 April 2022Solomon Islands a strategic Pacific catchAs Russia launches a new wave of attacks on Ukraine impacting millions of people, many in Washington pivoted their focus to a tiny Pacific Island nation with a population of less than 700,000. The Solomon Islands may appear to be a minnow in the scheme of geopolitics outside of wartime but – as China, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States each made abundantly clear over the past month – it has once again become a strategic catch in the Pacific. Under a leaked draft of the newly signed China-Solomon Islands security pact, Beijing would be allowed to station navy ships and defence personnel to protect billions of dollars in Chinese infrastructure investment in the developing country. The deal caused concern for Australia and the United States, who are sending a team of top diplomats to visit the Solomon Islands this week including Kurt Campbell, the US National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific who recently addressed the United States Studies Centre. During US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Indo-Pacific tour in February 2022, the US announced the re-opening its embassy on the South Pacific archipelago, which was previously downgraded to a consulate in 1993. The announcement responded to growing unease with China’s regional influence, which is speculated to only grow under this new deal. The US State Department posited that the broad nature of the security agreement leaves open the possibility of Chinese military forces to the Solomon Islands. Incoming United States Studies Centre CEO Dr Michael Green told Sky News the current interest in the Solomon Islands could be compared to the 1890s when Western powers, such as the United States, Japan and England, were seeking naval bases and access to the South Pacific. Only this time it is China seeking such access. “I don’t think a Solomon Islands presence for China poses a military threat to Australia in the sense that somehow China could invade from the Solomon Islands, but it definitely complicates Australian strategy,” Dr Green said. "It forces the Royal Australian Navy to consider what a Chinese military base would mean … it forces us to tend to our own neighbourhoods instead of pressuring China.” The Centre’s Director of Defence and Foreign Policy Ashley Townshend told the Wall Street Journal, that the “potential for Chinese economic influence, both overt and covert, to slide into political influence, and then on to strategic military influence is the pathway that is the worry here.” While the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the pact is “not directed at any third party”, both Canberra and Washington remain sceptical of Beijing’s intentions. NEWS WRAPUkraine military support on a roll
Our shared aspirations for the region will continue to underpin our common commitment to advance an Indo-Pacific that is free and open, secure, connected, and resilient. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announcing the US-ASEAN Special Summit | 16 April 2022 ANALYSISUkraine war exposes US geopolitical fault lines on the world stageDr Gorana Grgic Any sort of analysis that tries to draw lessons from an evolving event such as an ongoing major war is a potentially futile task. On the one hand, there is a fog of war that prevents us from understanding the tactical developments. On the other hand, the time lag is still much too short to allow us to fully comprehend the consequences and impact of what has aptly been described as Europe’s September 11. Yet, there is no doubt the Russian invasion of Ukraine will have an irrevocable effect on the state of international affairs for years to come. It has accelerated some of the negative trends in world politics – the great power rivalry between the West and revisionist powers such as Russia and China, and economic nationalism. Yet, there is no doubt the Russian invasion of Ukraine will have an irrevocable effect on the state of international affairs for years to come. It has accelerated some of the negative trends in world politics – the great power rivalry between the West and revisionist powers such as Russia and China, and economic nationalism. Equally, it has brought about sweeping foreign policy changes in some of the most powerful European countries, notably Germany. However, on the other side of the Atlantic, rather than bringing about a major shift in foreign policy, Russia’s aggression has highlighted tensions in US foreign policy. This is an excerpt from an article published by The Conversation BY THE NUMBERS Australian, US jobless rate comparisonThe Australian unemployment rate was 4.0 per cent in March - a drop from more than 5.0 per cent in September 2021, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This economic indicator shows the Australian economy slowly climbing back from the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, the unemployment rate in March 2022 was 3.6 per cent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. This was a major decline from 6.3 per cent in January 2021 and reflects a similar strong economic comeback as Australia's. Before COVID-19 struck, the US unemployment rate was 3.6 per cent but soared to almost 15 per cent in April and May 2020 during the peak of the crisis. VIDEOAlliance Dinner 2022 | Message from incoming USSC CEO Dr Michael GreenIncoming United States Studies Centre CEO Dr Michael Green addressed senior Australian political, business and academic leaders at a special Alliance Dinner event in Canberra to celebrate the 70th anniversary of ANZUS. The event not only marked the milestone of the formal alliance, but confirmed that the US-Australia alliance was still critical in meeting Australia’s great strategic and security challenges of today and the foreseeable future. The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, American Australian Association Ltd and Perth USAsia Centre hosted the event, which included speakers, such as Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese, Australian Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos, US Chargé d'Affaires Michael Goldman and former Prime Minister John Howard. Catch more analysis on the United States on the USSC YouTube channel. Manage your email preferences | Forward this email to a friend United States Studies Centre |