The Yegiora Files

Why was this policy formulated? To combat people smuggling and protect Australia borders - Security interest. Who formulated this policy? The Coalition (Liberal and The Nationals - political parties of Australia). How was this policy formulated? Policy was formulated before the Coalition government came into power. Policy was designed to stop people from jumping on boats to travel to Australia illegally as an alternative to the Labour government approach. When they came into power they implemented the policy successfully. Policy was formulate in a group setting, meaning the policy was put forward by the Coalition government and not by an individually elected representative. What factors influenced greatly the formulation of this policy? At the state level of analysis the failure of the bureaucratic structure to secure the borders. There are 12 separate government agencies that have involvement in, or responsibility for, th...

The suggestion by former prime minister Paias Wingti has geopolitics written all over it. As such, I find his suggestion interesting and relevant to our study of geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region. His suggestion also reflects the effect of China's soft power. China was able to make their domestic development and their capability to replicate such development in another country attractive enough to influence an experienced politician like Governor Wingti. Henry Karukuru also made a valid point that Wingti was an advocate of the 'Look North' policy when he was prime minister. Back then, when China was not that developed compared to today, Wingti saw the potential in connecting with China. Unfortunately, he served only a short time so we did not see his foreign policy vision materialize. As mentioned by many of you in your Glossary 3 entries , the Asia-Pacific region is dynamic. APEC itself as a multilateral forum confirms this dynamism. Some of the 21 membe...

There are 3 common models of foreign policy decision making according to Graham Allison: rational actor model organizational process mode government politics model.  We will discuss the 3 models and compare them with the 3 levels of analysis. However, I challenge you to use your own initiative to learn about the other models of decision making. This will help you as future decision makers or analysts to understand how decisions are made and the processes. When one wakes up from bed he or she decides whether or not to brush their teeth, comb their hair and have a shower. These decisions are paramount, they affect and influence how the individual interacts in a social setting. This highlights the fact that as human beings we make decisions every day. Decision making is defined as the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. In the case of the ‘Kibung peles boy’ analogy; the male student had a choice of approaching the girl to ask he...

Script for the podcast on Moodle In this podcast, I will outline the 3 features that connects Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) to International Relations (IR). My analysis is limited in the sense that I will focus only on a handful of sources to help me make the connection. As such, I encourage you all to read widely to further develop your understanding of the connection between FPA and IR. Categorization We begin with the first feature, categorization. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, IR is a subfield of political science. Political science is “the systematic study of governance by the application of empirical and generally scientific methods of analysis. As traditionally defined and studied, political science examines the state and its organs and institutions.” In addition, Encyclopedia Britannica explains that: “International relations considers the political relationships and interactions between countries, including the causes of war, the formation of foreign po...

This model is also known governmental politics model or bureaucratic politics model. It is another model used to make foreign policy decisions when faced with a situation. Wikipedia defines it as: "In this model the state is not seen as a monolithic unitary actor. Instead it is a collection of different bureaucracies vying for an increase in their funding and size. Individual decision makers try to bargain and compete for influence with their own particular goal in mind. Things are often viewed as a zero sum game where one bureaucracy’s ‘win’ or increasing their level of funding is seen as a ‘loss’ for another bureaucracy. Here decisions are made by bureaucracies competing against each other and suggesting solutions to problems that would involve using their resources so as to increase their level of importance. Bureaucratic politics model, in keeping with its pluralistic connotation, can also refer to that inner state processes including no institutional actors, who with...

I must admit that there are many different definitions I am yet to review. However, based on the ones that I have read, I have put together this framework for analysis.  The framework: Natural resources - impact of the competition for natural resources on the political behaviour of state or non-state actors. Geographical location - impact the geographical location of a state actor has on the political behaviour of another state or non-state actors. Size - impact of a state actor on the political behaviour of another state or non-state actor in regards to its physical land area. Size of a non-state actor and its impact on the political behaviour of a state and other non-state actors. Topography - impact of either man-made and the natural surface feature of land on the political behaviour of state and non-state actors. Demography - impact of the characteristics of human population on the political behaviour of state and non-state actors. Climate - impact of the climate on...

The recent geopolitical power play in the region is exciting. One fact that we cannot dispute is the growth of China. The Middle Kingdom has really change the rules of the game in the Asia-Pacific region. One notable development is the fact that PNG is now the first Pacific Island nation to join China's One Belt One Road Initiative formally. The Prime Minister went to China with a mission to sign the deal and came back a victor.    One Belt One Road As mentioned in the Business Insider: ""Belt and Road" is a massive trade and infrastructure project that aims to link China — physically and financially — to dozens of economies across Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. It consists of two parts: The "Belt," which recreates an old Silk Road land route, and the "Road," which is not actually a road, but a route through various oceans." Cai from Lowy Institute explains that: "China’s Belt and Road Initiative (also kno...