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China

Federated States of Micronesia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

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

Turkey

Romania

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Russian Navy stopped a Turkish cargo vessel sailing under the flag of Palau, the Sukru Okan, and then boarded the vessel using a helicopter to conduct an inspection, Bloomberg reported Aug. 13. 

Ukraine, Russia: Russian Soldiers Board and Inspect Foreign Vessel Headed for Ukraine's Danube Ports

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 

The United States and Palau signed a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 11 to renew their Compact of Free Association (COFA) after Washington doubled its aid offer to $800 million over 20 years, Benar News reported Jan. 12.

U.S., Palau: Countries Sign Radar Agreement, MoU to Renew Compact of Free Association

Australia

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Guardian-class patrol boats worth $1.4 billion that Australia is gifting to several Pacific Island nations were found to have significant structural faults, The Straits Times reported July 1.

Australia: Naval Vessels Gifted to Pacific Islands Have Significant Faults

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

Nauru

Palau announced that it will leave the regional Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) group, citing dissatisfaction with the PIF's recent secretary-general appointment process, the Guardian reported Feb. 4. 

Palau: Island Nation Terminates Membership in Pacific Island Forum

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

Assessments

Samoa

Fiji

Kiribati

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

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.

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

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

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

Columns

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Timor-Leste

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Malaysia

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

Media

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Graphics

Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

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

Energy

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

Ukraine, Russia: Russian Soldiers Board and Inspect Foreign Vessel Headed for Ukraine's Danube Ports

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

U.S., Palau: Countries Sign Radar Agreement, MoU to Renew Compact of Free Association

Australia: Naval Vessels Gifted to Pacific Islands Have Significant Faults

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

Palau: Island Nation Terminates Membership in Pacific Island Forum

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

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