The Yegiora Files

By Bernard Yegiora  PNG’s foreign policy is entering a decisive phase. The Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 positions the United States as a central partner in security, trade, and development. At face value, the policy reflects confidence. But a closer reading reveals something more measured—something policymakers cannot afford to ignore. Screenshot of the cover page of the PNG Foreign Policy White Paper 2025. The White Paper states that PNG and the US enjoy “strong and amicable ties… based on our shared history and values,” and recognises the US as “a major economic partner” with a growing role in regional security. These are not abstract claims. They are reinforced by concrete agreements: the 2022 Defence Aid Agreement, the 2023 Defence Cooperation Agreement, and the Ship Rider Agreement, all of which deepen operational alignment between Port Moresby and Washington.  Screenshot of page 47 of the PNG Foreign Policy White Paper 2025. From a policy standpoint, PNG is clear...

By Bernard Yegiora PNG is entering a decisive phase in its digital transformation. Increased internet penetration, mobile connectivity, and digital service delivery are accelerating economic and social participation. However, this expansion is simultaneously widening the national attack surface. The central argument of Seminar 6—drawing explicitly on the work of Ige and Watson —is clear: cyber security in PNG has moved beyond an ICT management issue and now sits firmly within the national security domain. For those who want to engage directly with the seminar discussion, you can watch the full session here: Seminar 6 Video on YouTube Seminar 6 in action: unpacking Ige’s critique of “analog-era” cybercrime laws and interrogating the effectiveness of PNG’s Cybercrime Code Act 2016, with a sharp focus on enforcement gaps and their implications for state credibility and public trust in the digital age. 1. Cybercrime as a National Security Threat Building on empirical observations by Ige ...

By Bernard Yegiora PNG’s security community is still largely conditioned to think in conventional terms—more patrol boats, more personnel, more infrastructure. That model is increasingly outdated. The emerging global security environment demonstrates a different logic: states with limited resources are no longer trying to match power—they are learning to outmaneuver it . Iran is the clearest contemporary example of this shift. This is not about endorsing Iran’s politics or ideology. It is about understanding strategy. And strategically, Iran has demonstrated a hard truth: you do not need superior capability to shape outcomes—you need superior intelligence and asymmetric thinking . Emerging battlefield innovation: the growing use of low-cost, precision drones highlights a shift toward asymmetric maritime warfare, where technologically simple systems can challenge high-value naval assets. The Strategic Shift: Intelligence Over Force Iran’s operational model is built on a simple but effe...

By Bernard Yegiora PNG’s digital transformation is no longer just a development story. It is a strategic one. In my earlier work on The Yegiora Files , I examined the Huawei debate in PNG at a time when it was framed largely as a telecommunications issue. Yet those discussions were never simply about infrastructure. They were early indicators of a deeper shift: the entry of geopolitics into PNG’s digital space. Today, that shift is unmistakable. Cybersecurity has emerged as a central concern, and the questions raised nearly a decade ago now sit at the core of PNG’s national security agenda. In 2025, I invited Dr. Mengmeng Ge—now with Monash University—to deliver a Zoom guest lecture to my students, offering practical insights into cybersecurity, with a focus on social engineering and the exploitation of human vulnerabilities in digital systems. The turning point came with PNG’s engagement with Huawei. In Australian Ignorance and the PNG Huawei Deal , I argued that traditional partners...

 By Bernard Yegiora This week’s student-led seminar marked a transition in the course. Having moved from conceptual discussions of security and the China threat, the focus now shifts to cybersecurity as a second major case study. What emerged from the discussion is a clear analytical distinction: two different but interconnected cases—PNG and China—operating within the same strategic digital environment . The seven questions guiding the seminar were not random. They were systematically derived from two core readings:   Natanegara et al. on ICT infrastructure and governance in PNG   Lindsay et al. on China’s cyber strategy and global cybersecurity politics Taken together, these questions reveal a broader argument: cyberspace is now a domain where development, security, and geopolitics intersect . Case One: PNG – Cybersecurity as a Development-Security Nexus The first, third, fifth, and sixth questions draw directly from and focus on PNG. The central issue is straight...

 By Bernard Yegiora The escalating war involving Iran has quickly become one of the most consequential geopolitical developments in recent years. What began as a regional confrontation has rapidly evolved into a conflict with global economic and strategic implications. Energy markets are reacting, shipping routes in the Gulf are under pressure, and major powers are recalibrating their military and diplomatic posture. For countries far from the Middle East, the conflict might appear distant. However, for PNG, the situation has unexpectedly intersected with two emerging foreign policy developments: the growing relationship with the UAE and the security partnership with Australia under the Pukpuk Treaty . The conflict raises an important question for policymakers and analysts in PNG. Did the global intelligence community anticipate such a dramatic escalation, or has Iran fundamentally surprised the strategic establishment? For decades, security analysts warned that any confrontation...