State of the Pacific 2024 - Awkward AUKUS

Panel Convenor: Philippa Louey, Jope Tarai, PhD Candidates, ANU
Day: 4 September 2024
Time: 2.15-3.45pm
Ever since its announcement in 2021, the AUKUS security partnership has sat somewhat awkwardly in the Pacific. Led by three of the region’s main traditional security partners - Australia, the UK and the USA - AUKUS promises to promote a secure and stable Indo-Pacific, covering an expansive maritime region in which the Pacific Islands is positioned as a strategic linchpin. For the communities and leaders of many Pacific Island communities, however, the AUKUS program has been received with a mixture of caution and unease. Pacific representatives have raised concerns on various fronts, not least regarding its securitisation agenda and respect for the Pacific’s proud nuclear-free position.
This intergenerational panel will explore the relationship between AUKUS and the Pacific Islands region, drawing on a range of perspectives from Australia and Oceania. It will examine how the program impacts partnerships with and within the Pacific Islands region and unpack key details of both AUKUS pillar one and pillar two.
• Jope Tarai (Chair), PhD Candidate, ANU
• Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology
• Maualaivao Maima Koro, Pacific Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, The University of Adelaide
• Hugh White, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies, School of International, Political & Strategic Studies, ANU