More from Giff Johnson

As the pressure for markets and resources—fish, energy, deep-sea minerals—escalates, interest in the islands will escalate. Island leaders and especially island communities need to look beyond the superficial to understand the motivation of donors, says Giff Johnson.

The contribution of NGOs to national development is obvious and irrefutable, yet they are notoriously under-funded for the work they do. Government-funded NGO staff positions would improve critical community service programs in the Pacific, writes Giff Johnson.

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement and the Forum Fisheries Agency have proved over the years that there is power in numbers. It’s an example of success for the region that could easily be applied to other economic areas, including deep-sea mining, writes Giff Johnson.

The concern about government workers spending too much time attending regional meetings has clearly risen to the attention of heads of state in the region as it made it into print in the communiqué from the meeting in Palau that ended earlier this month, writes Giff Johnson.

The growing presence of the Ahmadiyya has sparked repeated criticism of the group, criticism ranging from a debate over their right to exist in the Marshall Islands—despite a constitution that guarantees religious freedom—to ‘concern’ over their beliefs, writes Giff Johnson.

Can Pacific islands reap the benefits of a lucrative tuna fishery while reducing catches to sustainable levels? That is the key challenge facing the Pacific islands today as they attempt to both control and gain more benefit from the lucrative tuna fishery, writes Giff Johnson.