About Bernard Yegiora

I am Bernard Singu Yegiora, a Papua New Guinean lecturer and researcher specialising in International Relations. My areas of expertise are PNG foreign policy, PNG national security, and China–PNG relations. I have taught at Divine Word University in Madang since 2012, including international relations theory, foreign policy, and international and regional security.

Research and academic background

I hold a Master of International Politics from Jilin University in China, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Papua New Guinea, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning from Divine Word University.

I am completing my PhD at Divine Word University, examining China’s higher education exchange programs and their influence on PNG–China relations and participant perceptions.

About The Yegiora Files

This blog focuses on PNG foreign policy, PNG national security, and China–PNG relations. I examine diplomacy, security institutions, international partnerships, and the domestic capacity needed to advance PNG’s national interests. I also share reflections from teaching, research, and professional engagement.

My central concern is how PNG can strengthen its knowledge, institutions, and capacity to ensure that international engagement serves its national interests. I connect academic ideas with the practical decisions facing policymakers, practitioners, students, and the wider public.

Editorial independence

The views expressed are my own unless otherwise stated. They do not represent the official position of Divine Word University or any organisation with which I am associated.

View my ORCID researcher profile

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Commercial liberalism and the six norms

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Liberal internationalism is defined by Griffiths, O'Callaghan and Roach (2008, p.190) as a project to transform international relations so that they conform to models of peace, freedom, and prosperity allegedly enjoyed within constitutional liberal democracies. The same scholars go further by dividing liberalism into three distinct groups. They say these are the three ways to implement the project. The way they present liberal internationalism as a project makes their work interesting. Three distinct groups Firstly, commercial liberalism is about free trade between states. States bilaterally or multilaterally via a platform like APEC pursue the goal of trade liberalization. Griffiths, O'Callagahan and Roach (ibid.) argued that economic interdependence would decrease the likelihood of going to war. Republican liberalism is about democratic peace. The scholars argued that the spread of democracy among states so that governments will be accountable to their citizens makes it di...
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Getting PNG’s Foreign Policy History Right: From Friends to All to Active and Selective Engagement

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Jesher Tilto’s recent editorial , “Time to move from aid to trade,” published in The National , is a strong piece of writing. It makes the case that PNG must move beyond aid dependency and anchor its foreign policy in trade and strategic partnerships. The prose is sharp, the argument is persuasive, and the subject matter is timely. Few would disagree with the urgency of Tilto’s call for a more coherent foreign policy framework to guide PNG’s external engagements. That said, accuracy in foreign policy history matters, and here the editorial falls short. Tilto asserts that PNG’s foreign policy has remained unchanged since 1975 under the banner of “friends to all, enemies to none.” This is not correct. As someone who has taught PNG foreign policy for the last ten years, I can say confidently that PNG’s foreign policy has not been static. It has undergone important reviews and revisions that have shaped the nation’s international posture. The most notable review occurred in 1979. That...
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Allison's rational actor model

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