The Yegiora Files

By Bernard Yegiora PNG has taken several significant diplomatic steps into the Middle East over the past two years. First came the decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem in 2023. Then followed efforts to deepen relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through visa-free travel arrangements and discussion of stronger trade links centred around Dubai. Now, as tensions escalate across the Middle East – including the expanding confrontation involving Iran – PNG’s leaders increasingly find themselves commenting on a region that is among the most complex geopolitical arenas in the world. Yet there is a structural problem at the centre of this emerging foreign policy engagement. PNG is making consequential diplomatic moves in the Middle East without a strong domestic base of expertise to understand the region. This gap is increasingly visible across several recent developments. The Jerusalem decision PNG opened its embassy in Jerusalem in September 2023, becoming the first Pacific I...

By Bernard Yegiora  In the study of international relations, the most important intellectual skill students must develop is the ability to assess competing perspectives and arrive at their own informed conclusions . This was the central objective of Seminar 4 in the unit PG420: International and Regional Security at Divine Word University. The seminar focused on one of the most debated geopolitical questions in the Pacific today: Is China a development partner or a strategic challenge for PNG and the wider Pacific region? The video recording of the seminar discussion is available below: https://youtu.be/MHzf9aMsLWM The image shown during the seminar relates to an ongoing research project examining the introduction of Juncao technology in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province. As part of this study, we conducted interviews with local farmers to understand their perceptions of the technology and its potential contribution to rural livelihoods. The detailed findings of this research...

By Bernard Yegiora In this week’s seminar , the central objective was not to tell students what to think about China’s growing presence in PNG and the Pacific. The objective was to expose them to competing scholarly perspectives and require them to form their own informed judgement. Seminar reflection: Is China a security threat or a development partner for PNG? Engaging the literature, examining competing views, and developing independent analysis. The discussion began with Matbob’s analysis of tensions between local communities and Chinese traders in PNG. These tensions highlight how economic competition, weak regulatory enforcement, and uneven development outcomes can produce social friction. Students were asked to consider whether such localised grievances constitute evidence of a broader security threat — or whether they reflect governance challenges within PNG itself. We then examined PNG’s balancing strategy. As argued in my own work , PNG engages China economically while main...

By Bernard Yegiora  Security in PNG is increasingly being understood through new analytical lenses shaped by local scholarship. In Week 3 of PG420 International and Regional Security, students engaged with this shift by examining two core works: my analysis of Blue Securit y and Francis Hualupmomi’s systems-based interpretation of PNG’s national security governance. ▶️ Watch the seminar discussion here: https://youtu.be/WxIf7jEHfsE The objective was not simply to review readings. It was to use these scholarly contributions to unpack security as a concept in International Relations and situate it within PNG’s strategic realities. My work on Blue Security begins from a structural reality: PNG is an archipelagic state whose security environment is shaped by the maritime domain. The study reframes national security priorities around the protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone, maritime law enforcement, surveillance capacity, and regional cooperation. It demonstrates how threats ...

By Bernard Yegiora Security remains one of the most powerful and contested ideas in international relations. It shapes budgets, institutions, political priorities, and ultimately determines who receives protection and who does not. Yet despite its centrality, the meaning of security is neither fixed nor universally agreed upon. In a recent seminar presentation, my students examined how the concept of security has evolved beyond its traditional military focus. Drawing on Paul Williams’ Security Studies: An Introduction and the broader framework associated with Barry Buzan, the discussion explored how security now extends into political, economic, societal, and environmental domains. This expansion has significantly reshaped both scholarship and policy practice. Seminar 1: Reframing Security in International Relations — examining how the concept of security has evolved from traditional military concerns to include human, economic, societal, and environmental dimensions. For much of the...

By Bernard Yegiora Key takeaways • Internet infrastructure is now a strategic national asset, not just a technical service. • PNG must avoid binary alignment in digital infrastructure decisions involving China and Australia. • A multi-partner, institution-led approach is essential to protect sovereignty, security, and development outcomes. Introduction: internet infrastructure is now strategic For PNG, the internet is no longer simply a tool for communication. It is part of national infrastructure tied to economic development, state capacity, service delivery, and security. Decisions about who builds, finances, or supports digital systems are therefore strategic choices. As geopolitical competition intensifies in the Indo-Pacific, digital infrastructure has become a key arena of influence. PNG finds itself navigating between major partners, particularly China and Australia, both of whom see telecommunications as central to regional stability and national security. This is not a si...