April 3, 2024 | The Diplomat
The Importance of America’s Pacific Family
Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are the United States’ closest allies. And they’re essential for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
April 3, 2024 | The Diplomat
The Importance of America’s Pacific Family
Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are the United States’ closest allies. And they’re essential for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Excerpt
After years of negotiations, the third iteration of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) between the United States and the countries of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), are nearing completion. “Compact III” was signed into law in the United States on March 9, shortly after it was completed in Palau and FSM, and it is currently undergoing public consultation in RMI, with approval expected within weeks.
Understanding how the COFAs came to be, what is in them, and what they mean for a free and open Indo-Pacific requires a fundamental rethinking of “the Pacific Islands.”
Cleo Paskal is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) focusing on the Indo-Pacific region, in particular, the Pacific Islands and India.