Palau

February 23, 2025 | Cleo Paskal |

China roils the Pacific waters courtesy Australia and New Zealand

China’s role in the region is a constant pressure in one direction. New Zealand and Australian policies towards the region have been naive at best, and the situation was worsened by U.S. State Department following Canberra and Wellington’s lead.

January 27, 2025 | Cleo Paskal |

Who’s afraid of China? Palau inauguration calls bluff of ‘friends to all, enemies to none’

For all the regional talk of “Pacific family” and “friends to all enemies to none” who did – and who didn’t – show up for the Jan. 16 inauguration of Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr....

January 26, 2025 | Cleo Paskal |

Deconstructing the Inauguration: No, not that one

We have a country that is geopolitically sophisticated, with close ties to the U.S., Japan and Taiwan, and is in a highly strategic location. So who showed up to Palau’s party, and who didn’t?

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...

August 16, 2024 | |

Treasury Sanctions Iranian Proxies Smuggling Commodities

The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting entities affiliated with Iranian proxy terrorist groups in Yemen and Lebanon engaged in the smuggling of Iranian commodities....

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....

June 17, 2024 | |

U.S. Navy Rescues Crew of Greek-Owned Ship Attacked by Houthi Rebels

U.S. naval forces rescued a civilian crew from a Greek-owned merchant ship struck by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said on June 16....

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...

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.

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.