STRICTLY 4 THE ISLANDS

IRAN, ISRAEL AND THE PACIFIC 

The United States has been making their presence known in the Pacific as of recent. Billionaire Jared Novelley has just been announced as the new American ambassador to New Zealand, and he has already made clear the goals to further deepen New Zealand and the USA’s defence ties and open us up for some more good ol’ fashioned resource extraction. 

The USA's Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has also been doing the rounds in the Pacific Ocean, going from state to state to take heart-warming photos shaking hands with our various political leaders. One of his goals in this mission is to reassure Pacific nations that whatever mess the USA has made in the Middle East, it “doesn't stop American diplomacy in the rest of the world” (according to a post on reputable news site, X). The United States has always considered the Pacific to be an incredibly valuable region, but why do they see themselves to be so essential to this place we live? And with the latest developments in the American-Israeli war on Iran, should this special relationship really be something we treasure with all our hearts? 

This isn’t an article detailing the insane events happening in the Middle East, but for those who somehow missed it, here’s a brief summary. The United States and Israel have begun a war with Iran over the perceived threat Iran’s nuclear program presents to Israeli and American interests. The war began with the insane immediate assassination of Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, via Israeli bombing on February 28. This war is ongoing, constantly changing, and there is no consensus on where any of this is heading. That does mean that by the time this article is released some of this may be very out of date, so apologies just in case.

You might be thinking that, as horrifying as endless war in the Middle East may be, it can’t really be that connected to this ocean on the other side of the world. But that ignores our region's long-standing ties with the USA, our trade connections, and the implications for American foreign policy going forward.  

Firstly, to properly frame this, let's quickly examine how much of the Pacific is straight-up a part of the United States. Hawai’i, once a sovereign kingdom, is now an official state of America thanks in part to a coup in 1893. They also have the eastern islands of Sāmoa, the island of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as unincorporated territories, as well as a series of uninhabited islands and atolls that pepper our region. The two most powerful countries in the region, Australia and New Zealand, are both key allies of the United States, going all the way back to World War II when they helped expel Imperial Japan from this region and large parts of Asia. 

This relationship is far from benign, and you don’t have to look that far to see how. After the initial strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel, alert levels across America’s Pacific territories were raised, and military build ups and reviews were kickstarted across the CNMI and Guam. Our good mate Landau who I mentioned up top was also recently in independent Sāmoa, where the two nations celebrated an ‘open skies’ agreement allowing for less restrictions on American vessels in Sāmoan airspace, while also further increasing their defence and policing ties. “Not just diplomatic, it’s personal” were the words Prime Minister of Sāmoa La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polāta’ivao Schmidt used to describe the relationship between the two countries. 

While many Pacific politicians seemingly welcome all these developments with open arms, others have their doubts. The war in Iran will have ongoing effects on the global supply-chain of oil, with Pacific nations on high alert as to how rising prices and a lack of supply may hurt their peoples and economies for however long this war will take. Lawyer and CNMI Democratic Party member Michael White has predicted that these strikes will increase the “already-oppressive economic burden on our people” through the effects the war will have on gas prices in particular. This is a worry shared by many across the world, not just around here. 

With this military buildup also comes the expectation of cooperation, and Trump has made it clear how he feels about those who would rather not get involved. He has brazenly threatened to cut off trade with Spain after they refused to let American vessels use their bases, and he’s publicly decried Keir Starmer for deciding to participate in too late a fashion. While Trump is famous for saying literally anything he wants at any moment with no follow through, these types of threats should not be taken lightly. His administration is currently weaponizing these types of diplomatic moves to blockade Cuba, with the increased economic isolation imposed by the USA leaving many Cubans without power and decent food. American diplomacy in full effect, everyone. 

While yes, it is true that holding American planes may come in handy one day, I doubt the benefits outweigh the means. I mean, Donald Trump just pulled America out of several international agreements that commit those included to fighting against climate change, an issue of significant importance for the survival of the Pacific region. This goes in tandem with Trump’s global agenda to find new sources of rare-earth minerals, which includes the mining of the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. Deals with Tonga, the Cook Islands, and others are in the works as we speak. They have also exited from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), two organisations who provide opportunities for Pacific students to obtain scholarships, with China stepping in to fill this gap.  

The United States has also been busy blocking a Vanuatu-led U.N. resolution that would classify failing to protect people from the effects of climate change as violating international law. According to a message from the U.S. State Department obtained by the Associated Press through a cable, “President Trump has delivered a very clear message: that the U.N. and many nations of the world have gone wildly off track, exaggerating climate change into the world’s greatest threat.” Despite the push from Vanuatu, and pushback from U.N. experts, the Trump regime seems hell bent on draining our region for their own benefit. 

Right-wing think tank ‘The Heritage Foundation’, most famous for ‘Project 2025’, an ideological platform that has influenced the Republican’s moves through the last election cycle, has now set its sights on influencing movements within the Pacific region. ‘A Charter of Pacific Values for a Prosperous Pacific Future’, released on the 5th of this month, outlines a proposed charter that, when read carefully, basically argues the Pacific needs to avoid China and stick with their bros in the Western world. A Trump-aligned think tank that helped give us the latest iteration of the Republican Party trying to influence the political decisions of Pacific leaders, around the same time a global quest for rare-natural resources has started among all of America’s allies, is surely cause for some alarm. 

Their track record in the past is also in shambles, whether it be the legacy of nuclear testing near inhabited islands leaving generations with horrific medical issues, or the unlawful and oftentimes violent acquisition of their Pacific states and territories. Frankly, the history of American foreign policy in the Pacific is too large for a single article in a student newspaper, but hopefully I’ve painted a clear enough picture for you so far. 

I have barely even mentioned the other partner in this war, Israel, who has also been doing its part in increasing its ties to the Pacific. Fiji and Sāmoa are opening/have opened new Embassies in Israel, and as the Israeli government’s genocide of the Palestinian people has progressed, many Pacific states have voted alongside the USA and Israel in blocking U.N. action aimed at protecting civillians and holding Israel to account for their conduct. The influence of certain evangelical strains of Christianity on the politics of the Pacific contributes to this strange relationship, and the influence of the United States also plays a large part. While these political decisions may not reflect how the people of the Pacific feel about these global events, this is the message heading to the world stage from many of our leaders. 

Our friends in the USA are not going anywhere anytime soon, but in the wake of all of this, there is no better time than now for all of us to collectively re-consider who we call our bros on the world stage, and whether our leaders are reflecting how we feel about this. Our collaboration, our support, and our resources may be on the list of America’s most wanted, but before we hand everything over on a silver platter, let's think about what we actually want.