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The United States and the Marshall Islands renewed their Compact of Free Association on Oct. 16, Reuters reported the next day.

U.S., Marshall Islands: Third and Final COFA Signed, Waiting on Congressional Ratification

Samoa

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Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The United States is backing the construction of the Central Pacific Cable, a planned undersea internet cable covering thousands of miles that will link U.S. territories American Samoa and Guam before extending to 10 Pacific Island countries and territories, Reuters reported on Sept. 27.

U.S., Pacific Islands: Washington Backs New Undersea Cable Network in Pacific

The U.S. State Department is seeking $7.1 billion over the next 20 years to use as economic assistance for the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) as part of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) agreements that Washington has with the three Pacific Island nations, Reuters reported March 23. 

U.S.: Biden Administration Seeking $7.1 Billion Over 20 Years in Financial Aid for Pacific Island Nations 

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

The United States appointed Joseph Yun to resume negotiations with three Pacific Island nations -- Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia -- to renew their Compacts of Free Association, which allow the islands' citizens to live and work freely in the United States in return for extensive U.S. military access to their territories, Reuters reported March 22.

U.S., Pacific Islands, China: New Envoy to Shore Up U.S. Presence in Pacific

The presidents of three Compact of Free Association countries -- the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau -- will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal reported May 15.

Asia-Pacific: Pacific Island Leaders to Meet Trump in Washington

Taiwan

China in Transition

Five Pacific island nations -- the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau -- have issued a joint communique calling for the equal diplomatic treatment of China and Taiwan, Taiwan News reported Feb. 26.

China, Taiwan: Pacific Island Nations Call for Equal Diplomatic Treatment for Beijing and Taipei

The 4th Industrial Revolution

The Marshall Islands is moving forward on a plan to release its own cryptocurrency to be used as legal tender, Bloomberg reported Feb. 27, citing two government officials. 

Marshall Islands: Government Moves Forward On Plan To Release Cryptocurrency

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After two weeks of negotiations, representatives of nearly 200 countries have approved the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the extent of climate change in the coming decades, The Telegraph reported Dec. 12.

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

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Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marapeand, the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown, U.S. President Joe Biden and Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of the U.S.-PIF summit at the White House on Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

U.S.-China Relations

Despite Washington's desire to strengthen ties with Pacific island nations, political constraints may leave a regional void that China is happy to fill.

Strategic Goals and Political Hurdles in the U.S. Play Tug-of-War Over the Pacific Islands

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Maldives

EU Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis speaks March 16, 2023, in Brussels.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit, China-Japan-South Korea Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts a working lunch with Pacific Island countries in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28, 2022.

The success of the regional partnership will largely hinge on Washington’s ability to balance its own security objectives against island nations’ climate and economic priorities. 

The U.S. Reasserts Itself in the Pacific Islands With a Historic Pact

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama attend a joint press conference in Fiji's capital of Suva on May 30, 2022.

China, the U.S., and Australia will need to adapt their traditional engagement with the island nations to secure influence in the strategic maritime region.

The Pacific Islands Emerge as the Next Theater for Great Power Competition 

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A military parade in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 18, 2019. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 11, Iran will mark Fajr Decade, its annual celebration of the Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini's 1979 return to Iran that culminated with the Iranian Revolution.

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A Celebration in Iran, a Budget in India

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While some governments see cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, visually represented in this photo illustration, as a threat, others want to harness the advantages they offer.

A transition is underway as digital currencies move slowly into the mainstream. Some case studies offer clues where the shift is headed and what threats bitcoin, Libra and other systems might pose or what benefits they might bring.

The Future of Cryptocurrencies

As U.S. focus turns away from the Pacific islands, other powers are starting to pay attention.

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

Countries like the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau enjoy a close treaty relationship with the United States, but the strategically located states are now on China's radar too.

China Sets a Course for the U.S.'s Pacific Domain

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Banking

By creating its own virtual money, the small country hopes to reduce its economy's reliance on the dollar.

Marshall Islands: Why the Island Nation Wants To Launch a Cryptocurrency

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The Geopolitics of the Cook Islands

Environmental Issues

Globalization

In the remote Pacific islands, the world's crises are dulled by distance. But the plight of the Cook Islands -- a grouping of 15 islands at the heart of the South Pacific is a tiny segment of a sweeping arc that sprawls across the Pacific from the Marianas to Polynesia -- is dire. In spite of the fantasies of travelers over the centuries, these islands are not pristine utopias.

A Place Where Geopolitics Fades

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Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Delegates attend a plenary session at the U.N. climate change summit in Paris on Dec. 9.

The agreement signed Dec. 12 in Paris is just a small part of a broader energy transition driven by technological change.

Climate Agreement Will Only Hasten Transition Beyond Oil

_Energy

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Marshall Islands: Third and Final COFA Signed, Waiting on Congressional Ratification

U.S., Pacific Islands: Washington Backs New Undersea Cable Network in Pacific

U.S.: Biden Administration Seeking $7.1 Billion Over 20 Years in Financial Aid for Pacific Island Nations

U.S., Pacific Islands, China: New Envoy to Shore Up U.S. Presence in Pacific

Asia-Pacific: Pacific Island Leaders to Meet Trump in Washington

China, Taiwan: Pacific Island Nations Call for Equal Diplomatic Treatment for Beijing and Taipei

Marshall Islands: Government Moves Forward On Plan To Release Cryptocurrency

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

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