The Yegiora Files

By Bernard Yegiora The Bachelor of Arts in PNG and International Studies began implementing its current Program Specification Document in the 2023 academic year. The present five-year curriculum cycle therefore runs from 2023 to 2027 , with the next formal program review due in 2028 under Divine Word University’s five-year program review process. The current PSD also shows that graduate tracer data and alumni feedback have previously contributed to curriculum review and improvement. Screenshot from the current Bachelor of Arts in Papua New Guinea and International Studies Program Specification Document (PSD) , implemented from 2023 and due for formal review in 2028 after the five-year cycle. We are therefore beginning preparations early so that the 2028 review can be based on evidence rather than assumptions. We need to hear from graduates One important part of the review will be to understand where our recent graduates are working, what they are doing, and how relevant the program ha...

By Bernard Yegiora  As part of PG428 Foreign Policy in PNG , students recently completed Database Activity 2 , focusing on PNG’s bilateral relations and the question of strategic partnership prioritisation. Week 6 of PG428 Foreign Policy in PNG , featuring Topic 4 on Somare’s influence and Database Activity 2 on PNG’s major bilateral relationships under the Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 . The activity was based on an important principle contained in the PNG Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 : PNG must maintain strong bilateral relationships while ensuring that its external engagements continue to serve the country’s national interests. For a country like PNG, this is not simply a question of maintaining diplomatic relations with as many countries as possible. PNG has limited diplomatic, administrative and financial resources. It must therefore make strategic choices about where to concentrate its diplomatic attention and how different bilateral relationships contribute to security,...

By Bernard Yegiora Part Two of a three-part series on the implications of the West Papua conflict for PNG’s national security. Part One of this series identified three warning signs emerging from the West Papua conflict: the display of high-powered firearms by armed groups, the killing of an American pilot, and the execution of three Indigenous Papuans accused of being “traitors.” These incidents indicate increasing armed capability, an expansion in the range of people considered legitimate targets, and a willingness by armed groups to enforce political loyalty through violence. However, the security implications for PNG do not depend on armed fighters launching a direct attack across the international border. A neighbouring conflict can enter PNG’s security environment in other ways. It can produce refugee movements, firearms trafficking, intelligence activity, cross-border pursuit, diplomatic pressure and political mobilisation. Its narratives can also influence sensitive domestic is...