Nikunj Soni spots an opportunity for vulnerable nations to redefine their development – and themselves. At the most recent Pacific Round Table discussion, Timor-Leste reminds the older nations of the region exactly what the struggle for independence was about, and the opportunities that now lie ahead.

Calling Melanesians benighted and backward is pointless and frankly dishonest. Photographs of the torture and execution of a woman from the highlands of PNG caused a global furore, typified by the headline: It’s 2013, And They’re Burning ‘Witches’. But who is this ‘they’ you keep talking about?