A great blue expanse on many maps, the Pacific is home to a myriad of cultures and civilizations. Spanning Micronesia in the north Pacific, Melanesia in the south, and Polynesia to the east, 2.3 million people speaking around 1500 languages live across 14 sovereign nations, 6 territories (U.S., France, UK), and one U.S state. This region, which encompasses roughly 15% of the surface of the world, has been largely neglected by academia and policymakers for several decades.
In August of 2022, China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, immediately switching that neglect to strategic attention. The U.S. and other Western partners rushed to show their dedication to the region through summits, multilateral promises like the “Partners for the Blue Pacific,” development assistance, new embassies, and an increased military presence. Japan too, which had been a more steady development partner, increased its involvement in the region in the past few years.
However, the political motivation behind many of these actions was to balance Chinese influence, not necessarily to meet the needs of the Pacific Island States themselves. China responded in kind with more summits, bilateral agreements, and development assistance. While Pacific Islands are grateful for the outpouring of support, they do not wish to take sides in great power competition.
So what do Pacific Islands want? The Pacific Island Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, which informs many national development plans, and the recent Ocean of Peace Declaration give clear priorities.
Source: Pacific Island Forum
Meanwhile, there is a decided lack of expertise on the diverse Pacific region within the U.S., Japan, and other Western partners. Indeed, there are less than 25 universities that offer Pacific Island Studies worldwide. I have seen the effects of this in my own field work, as embassy and development staff from abroad stumble through learning about their host cultures and countries on-the-job
At the same time, much of the policy and strategic conversations about the region are discussed about the Pacific Islands, rather than with them.
YCAPS’ new webinar series, Pacific Connect, hopes to take small steps towards relieving some of these issues. Pacific Connect aims to bridge the knowledge and conversation gap by featuring expert speakers from Pacific Islands on topics of mutual interest. Through YCAPS’ usual presentation and discussion format, we hope to foster meaningful conversations and inspire curiosity about the region. We hope conversation, curiosity, and expanded knowledge will foster improved understanding and engagement with Pacific Islands, from interested global citizens to practitioners and policymakers.
Pacific Connect will be held roughly every 2 to 3 months in a webinar format, lasting 90 minutes. Often in a panel format to share different perspectives, topics will center on priority issues of the region. The webinars will be held in JST mornings, to accommodate both sides of the Pacific, and all the islands in between.
We will be sharing news soon of our first event, to be held in early 2026. Watch YCAPS for more information.
If this has piqued your interest, there are also a number of other great resources to keep up with Pacific news and voices. A few of my favorites include:
- Lowy Institute's Pacific Aid Map
- Pacific Center for Island Security’s Micronesia Security Monitor
- Pacific Winds daily news mailing list
- Oceania Currents Podcast
- Pacific Island Report weekly news roundup
Much like its sister program Mongolia Connect here at YCAPS, Pacific Connect hopes to be a connector of people and ideas. If you have ideas for future webinars, or non-webinar events that you would like to see, please do reach out to info (at) YCAPS (dot) org. We want this to both shape and be shaped by your curiosity.