When Micronesian nations decided to remain within the Pacific Islands Forum, many commentators heralded it as a disaster averted. A year ago they had said the forum had ‘fallen apart'; Australia and New Zealand had too much involvement, the US too little, and China too much influence, they said. Hyperbole only grew with the Chinese security deal with Solomons Islands. With the return of Micronesia, a destabilising schism in the Pacific’s premier regional body had been avoided.
But much of this external commentary failed to take into consideration not only local dynamics but also the Pacific Way.
The Pacific Way prevails by forging unity through talanoa and soālapule (discussions and consultations), regardless of the issue, and by focussing on the realities of the region. As former Secretary General of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Dame Meg Taylor put it, the Pacific Way is how the region can “maintain our solidarity in the face of those who seek to divide us”.
