Compact of Free Association

November 2, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

Palau is under attack from PRC

There is a spike in activity now because China sees Palau’s 5 November election as an opportunity to put in place representatives that are more in line with its ambitions.

September 22, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

‘Only strength can ensure peace’: Palau President Whipps Jr.

There is a lot going on in the Republic of Palau, a country of over 300 islands and around 20,000 people southeast of the Philippines. Its strategic location has meant Palau has been subject to waves of...

July 1, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

Protecting the Corridor of Freedom to America’s Asian Border

Excerpt Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)—constituent parts of the United States—sit in such proximity to the Asian coast that the CNMI shares a maritime border with Japan....

April 28, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

China watches as the U.S. fumbles around in central Pacific

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April 19, 2024 | Richard Clark |

The Trouble With Micronesia’s New China Policy

What does it mean for the FSM to tell China it opposes AUKUS and supports the Global Security Initiative?

April 3, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

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.

March 4, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

COFA and the politics of delay

Tony Zielinski is a regular American citizen, who was enjoying his life in Florida.  Then he read about the problems with the renewals of key elements of the Compacts of Free Association with Palau, the...

March 4, 2024 | John Hardie |

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: March

Welcome back to the Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker. Once a month, we ask FDD’s experts and scholars to assess the administration’s foreign policy...

February 8, 2024 | Cleo Paskal |

US Congress’ COFA Delay Jeopardizes a Key Element of the ’Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ 

The U.S. government concluded COFA renewal talks with Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands in 2023. Months later, Congress has yet to approve the funding.

December 17, 2023 | Cleo Paskal, Col. Grant Newsham

In the Pacific, U.S. bureaucracy messes up against PRC influence operation

I have no idea what the U.S. State Department was thinking. But if the goal was to help honest people in a highly strategic country that is also a close ally protect themselves against Chinese influence...

November 19, 2023 | Cleo Paskal |

Three upcoming events that could torpedo Pacific peace

Three things are going on that could turbo charge Chinese strategic expansion in the Pacific. U.S. DEFENCE ARCHITECTURE IN THE PACIFIC The first two involve what are known as the “Compact States”....

November 12, 2023 | Cleo Paskal, Col. Grant Newsham

Australia: Neo-imperialist or climate change saviour?

Australia gets a remarkable set of rights from the Pacific island country of Tuvalu in exchange for things it can mostly find a reason to not do if it wants.

October 4, 2023 | Cleo Paskal |

Stopgap measure includes extension of COFA provisions for FSM, RMI, Palau

On Oct. 1, U.S. government financial support and federal services expired in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, two of the three U.S. freely associated states. The third is...

September 17, 2023 | Cleo Paskal |

War flashbacks in Guam as China projects power in the Pacific

Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, the Governor of Guam, a US territory, is not just waiting for the rest of the US to come save them. In this interview conducted in July, she describes some of the initiatives she is hoping to get off the ground so Guam is better able to defend itself.

September 5, 2023 | David Panuelo, Richard Clark

Former President of Federated States of Micronesia David W. Panuelo Warns Country Could See Democratic Backsliding

New, exclusive interview with former President of Federated States of Micronesia, David W. Panuelo.

September 1, 2023 | Cleo Paskal |

US Pacific Policy in China’s Shadow

Washington has indeed stepped up engagement, but missteps, half-steps, and mixed messaging are getting in the way.

August 6, 2023 | Cleo Paskal |

The complicated case of Nauru, which stood up to China

Some of Nauru’s decisions made on principle, for example recognizing Taiwan, likely hurt Nauru’s economy. Nauru doesn’t just recognize Taiwan, it has stood up to China in diplomatic venues in ways some Western diplomats could only dream about.

July 23, 2023 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Vital to protect pro-Israel UN votes from Pacific nations

Pressures from China may undermine the core reason certain Pacific nations have Israel's back at the United Nations.

July 21, 2023 | Cleo Paskal |

Politics Risk Derailing One of America’s Most Important Strategic Agreements

China is the biggest winner from the current train wreck that is the Marshall Islands–United States COFA negotiations.

July 9, 2023 | Cleo Paskal, Col. Grant Newsham

U.S. fighting China on the wrong battlefield

While the U.S. has been focused on preparing for the kinetic warfare battlefield, China has been registering big wins on the political warfare battlefield. You can see it all over the Pacific Islands.