The Yegiora Files

The look north policy approach has been a controversial foreign policy approach taken by developing countries in the Pacific region. The usage of the phrase 'look north' is metaphorically used in reference to China. Geographically, China is not directly to the north of both PNG and Fiji , it is towards the north-west. The rapid transformation that started in the 1980s and continued to today was and is the main reason why countries in the Pacific have decided to look north. In particular, countries are interested in learning about the Chinese model of development and want to strategically position themselves in order to benefit from the growth of the country. The latest country to follow the look north policy direction is the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands cabinet has decided to adhere to the 'One China' policy in a major foreign policy shift after 36 years. They now view Taiwan as an integral part of the Chinese mainland and not as an independent countr...

In a few weeks or months in office the new Prime Minister of PNG James Marape has shared a lot of information about his vision for a new PNG. In particular, the 'richest black Christian nation on earth' vision is ambitious. One prerequisite to becoming the richest black Christian nation on earth is to have a smart foreign policy. All states in the international system need foreign policies to guide their interaction with other states and non-state actors. But policies are secondary, the most important element is national interest. A state in the international system interact with others based on its national interest. National interest is made up of a collection of public interests. Furthermore, national interest is the self interest of a state. Rimbink Pato in the Ministerial Statement he presented to the National Parliament during his tenure as foreign minister said: "In a rapidly changing, globalizing world, foreign policy has to be kept under constant...

Does the size of a state matter in geopolitics? This is a difficult question to answer in light of the changes that we have witnessed in the world today. In particular, the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, the growth of Singapore and the rise of PNG. These three states are small in land area but project to a certain degree a huge amount of power in regional and global affairs. To answer our question, let us begin with the statement; 'the larger the state, the more powerful it is' . To prove or disprove this statement we will compare briefly the work of Hans Morgenthau and Azhar Ahmad about the concept of national power. We will also use the cases of North Korea, Singapore and PNG in our brief comparative analysis. Size is a geographical factor that we can use to measure or analyze the behaviour of a state in the regional or global political arena. Apart from size, the other geographical factors that are included in our analytical framework are: national resour...

Michael Somare was an influential leader in his time. He was vocal during the pre-independence period that PNG should be an independent nation. His call materialized in 1975 when the country became independent. Apart from his charismatic leadership, we want to know whether he played a part in influencing the creation of the first foreign policy. We also want to know the other key decision makers who contributed to the formulation of the policy of universalism or 'Friends to all, enemies to none' . Gedare (1994, p.51) wrote that the policy of universalism was embodied in a series of statements between 1973 and 1975 by Somare and Albert Maori Kiki. He categorized the period from 1975 to 1981 as phase 1 where universalism was the first foreign policy approach. He did not really describe in detail Somare's influence in the formulation of the policy but focused on the rationale and outcome of the policy. Mitna (2018, p. 42) said during the self-governing era there w...