"Like it or not, the USA, Australia and New Zealand helped create these conditions through neglect born of entitlement and no small dose of arrogance." That used to be called Benign Neglect. We do so at our own peril.
When foreigners did this in China, it was called gunboat diplomacy, and can easily be seen as the tactics of a bully. Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Japan, and the U.S. were all participants. Remember the movie “55 Days at Peking”? Using force for economic goals is still force. As long as the PRC remains communist their goals will never change. Our challenge will be to stay true to our principles.
The scary thing is, we could be in the locals' good graces cheaply enough. Improve some harbors, airfields, and roads as part of Guard/Reserve exercises, same thing with medical care, and maybe let some people go to college on Uncle's dime. Slightly overpay for a couple bases, have a FAC squadron (we need a couple dozen corvette-sized missile boats) patrolling the area, and a couple of Coast Guard cutters helping bust poachers.
But the area "isn't nice enough" for State and Defense.
It would not surprise me to find out this is being repeated around the globe. Quoted from the Vanuatu story - "At least four of the people were reported to hold a Vanuatu passport, which would normally afford them an extradition process."
Wherever a politician can be found who is willing to go around their own country's laws to gain favor with Beijing, you can expect this is happening.
Prigozhin Listed as Passenger on Plane That Crashed, Killing All Aboard. The authorities did not confirm whether the Wagner mercenary leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, was on board when a private jet crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing 10 people.
South Pacific is the backyard of OZ and the Kiwi's for quite some time or, that's what State keeps telling itself when ever there's a challenge in the area. Unfortunately our friends in Oz and the Shire instead of looking at those South Pacific territories as being a part of the great quilt of strategic depth, they instead view the area as a vending machine for cheap migrant labor.
We had a chance to step-up during the Tonga volcano disaster, instead we deferred to our AUKUS friends, resulting in several ships from China off-loading all manor of generator, tractors and other necessary equipment to help with the clean up and rebuild. State doesn't view SE Asia or the South Pacific has a choice assignment, ergo we're not getting the most talented diplomats and officers. DoD seems to have started to take notice with more EX in the PI however it's going to take more than just uniforms to fight this dragon.
AP reports United States has signed a new agreement with Palau, which gives American ships the authorization to unilaterally enforce maritime regulations in the tiny Pacific island nation’s exclusive economic zone
"Like it or not, the USA, Australia and New Zealand helped create these conditions through neglect born of entitlement and no small dose of arrogance." That used to be called Benign Neglect. We do so at our own peril.
People: This game was afoot in The Republic of Palau when I was there in ‘94-‘96. AND…
There’s a strategic reason Japan took it from the Germans and decades later the U.S. Navy took it from the Japanese.
Apparently, “we” are willing through malign neglect to let the Chinese peel/steal it from our SOI.
PATHETIC!
Now talk about the Solomon's
When foreigners did this in China, it was called gunboat diplomacy, and can easily be seen as the tactics of a bully. Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Japan, and the U.S. were all participants. Remember the movie “55 Days at Peking”? Using force for economic goals is still force. As long as the PRC remains communist their goals will never change. Our challenge will be to stay true to our principles.
The scary thing is, we could be in the locals' good graces cheaply enough. Improve some harbors, airfields, and roads as part of Guard/Reserve exercises, same thing with medical care, and maybe let some people go to college on Uncle's dime. Slightly overpay for a couple bases, have a FAC squadron (we need a couple dozen corvette-sized missile boats) patrolling the area, and a couple of Coast Guard cutters helping bust poachers.
But the area "isn't nice enough" for State and Defense.
Didn't stop them from repeating in Vanuatu two years later.
https://www.dailypost.vu/news/six-chinese-face-deportation/article_fef7f311-679d-5d1b-9ec5-4f44e73118bb.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/393995/vanuatu-in-dark-over-charges-in-china-deportations-minister
The video of the Fiji captives being "escorted" off the plane in China can be seen in the middle of this story.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/336646/china-hails-joint-operation-with-fiji-to-deport-suspects
It would not surprise me to find out this is being repeated around the globe. Quoted from the Vanuatu story - "At least four of the people were reported to hold a Vanuatu passport, which would normally afford them an extradition process."
Wherever a politician can be found who is willing to go around their own country's laws to gain favor with Beijing, you can expect this is happening.
War Plan Orange. Read it.
Aww. C'mon Man!
This isn't important.
The Earth is boiling! Those islands will be underwater in a year!
The Climate Emergency is upon us!!!!
https://youtu.be/h4fOHsL9d2s
[The SCIENCE! is Real!]
But not to fear you Minions...
Our brave new military will protect you...
https://twitter.com/GigaBeers/status/1691105587109740544?s=20
"stole a march"
Yep, exactly.
Meanwhile, in the Solomons, astride the shipping lanes between the U.S. and Australia ...
We basically have to win the individual and societal bribe-bidding war with China.
One thing we could offer Fiji is visa-free access to the USA, Europe and Australia. Fijians have visa-free access to China. and Ireland.
With Palau and Marshall Islands it's vice versa.
Solomon Islands, visa free to Canada and Europe, visa required to China, USA, and Australia.
Tonga, visa free to China and Europe.
Whoops, looks like somebody fell out a window.
Prigozhin Listed as Passenger on Plane That Crashed, Killing All Aboard. The authorities did not confirm whether the Wagner mercenary leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, was on board when a private jet crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing 10 people.
South Pacific is the backyard of OZ and the Kiwi's for quite some time or, that's what State keeps telling itself when ever there's a challenge in the area. Unfortunately our friends in Oz and the Shire instead of looking at those South Pacific territories as being a part of the great quilt of strategic depth, they instead view the area as a vending machine for cheap migrant labor.
We had a chance to step-up during the Tonga volcano disaster, instead we deferred to our AUKUS friends, resulting in several ships from China off-loading all manor of generator, tractors and other necessary equipment to help with the clean up and rebuild. State doesn't view SE Asia or the South Pacific has a choice assignment, ergo we're not getting the most talented diplomats and officers. DoD seems to have started to take notice with more EX in the PI however it's going to take more than just uniforms to fight this dragon.
Quintessential “too little too late” this:
AP reports United States has signed a new agreement with Palau, which gives American ships the authorization to unilaterally enforce maritime regulations in the tiny Pacific island nation’s exclusive economic zone