Statecraftiness - Investigating Influence in the Pacific

In the final episode, we journey into the French Pacific, uncovering the region's complex political and social landscape in a part of the region that few Australians pay much attention to. We discuss the crucial role of language and media in understanding regional issues, and the relationships between Australia and France. We also address the devastating impact of historical nuclear tests on the c...

This episode takes us on a journey through the geopolitics of the North Pacific, long a site of contestation between the major powers. We explore the geopolitically charged landscapes of the North Pacific and the impacts of the U.S. military presence on Islands such as Saipan, Guam, and Okinawa in Japan. Through insightful discussions with experts from these regions, they help us shed light on sta...

In the latest episode, we discuss the pressing issue of climate change, exploring the critical role in statecraft and the unique challenges faced by the Pacific. How does the Pacific balance immediate infrastructure needs with the long-term threat of climate change in their diplomacy with major powers? With the global and existential threat of climate change, we feature insights from key figures,...

In this episode, we shift our focus from state influence to the intriguing process of independence movements in the Pacific.  We delve into the complexities of law and politics, particularly in Bougainville and West Papua, where experts and activists shed light on their independence efforts.  We discover how these regions navigate the intricate paths to independence, often balancing international...

At the end of our soft power journey, we examine two key Australian government documents - the Defense Strategic Review and the New International Development Policy. How do the words we choose in government documents shape our understanding and influence our actions? Professor Joanne Wallis sheds light on how the term 'statecraft' is used in these documents and how it has evolved over time. We als...

This episode walks through the nuanced responses of countries in the Pacific region and Timor-Leste, exploring the perspectives of key figures who wielded substantial influence in government and healthcare during the COVID-19 era. This narrative unfolds by examining the dynamics that shaped each nation's approach to the Pandemic, such as the subtle pressures and preparations that influenced their...

The Pacific Food Island Revolution (PIFR) continues to be televised to record numbers of people in the Pacific Islands. But do Australia and New Zealand harvest the soft power benefits of the show? And to what extent has PIFR influenced healthier eating in the region? In this episode we explore the soft power of television through the program often referred to as the MasterChef of the Pacific.   H...

Welcome back to a new season of Statecraftiness! While the podcast took a brief hiatus, the world of statecraft continues to evolve and like Santa, doesn’t sleep at this time of the year. In this episode we look at how states are using the popularity of sports in their statecraft. The second series starts with Host Gordon Peake and Executive Producer Mark Panayiotis Notaras from CulturalPulse disc...

In the final episode of Joanne Wallis's quest, Gordon Peake asks photojournalist Ben Bohane to examine defence training as a tool of statecraft and how it's responding to the new geo-strategic climate. Reporting during a major cyclone in Vanuatu, they discuss how climate change is the biggest security issue and navigating geopolitical storm clouds that is defence cooperation.  Gordon speaks with T...

In episode seven we delve into the sector that has the biggest pieces of statecraft in budgetary terms - governance and public administration programs. These programs showcase the inner works of bureaucracy and have ubiquitous influence in the Pacific. Gordon Peake has been trying to explain to his parents, in laws and kids what he does for a living all the time seized with worry as to whether all...

In episode six we dive deep into the crypts of financial management to unearth which statecraft dividends accrue when money is given as loans to governments in the Pacific. Influence is notoriously slippery and crafty in the finance sector - which raises the question of who has the most influence, those who give the money or those who receive it?  Gordon Peake speaks with Godfree Kaptigau - Freela...

In the fifth episode of our investigation into statecraft in the Pacific, we take a closer look at education scholarships as a tool of soft power. What impact do they have - on the individuals who receive them, and on the nations involved? The University of Adelaide Professor Joanne Wallis talks with Gordon Peake about their Statecraftiness story map . Gordon Peake speaks with Godfree Kaptigau - F...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, an army of gender advisors toiled across the Pacific. Gender advisors work in a system they eagerly want to change, swerving their way through atmospheres of complex bureaucracies and evolving cultural norms.  In episode 4, Gordon Peake speaks to Anna Gibert, Hugh White, Jennifer Kalpokas Doan, Fremden Yanhambath, Mereani Rokotuibau, Graeme Smith, and Se...

In the next part of our voyage to understand statecraft in the Pacific, Gordon Peake phones in expert views on the race to build and control telecommunications infrastructure in the Pacific. Along the way, somewhat ironically, he encounters the very obstacles to communication that these same telecommunication infrastructure initiatives are meant to be addressing.  With Maureen Penjuli; Coordinator...

We kick off University of Adelaide Professor Joanne Wallis's quest by examining one of the most ubiquitous tools of statecraft in the Pacific - police reform - and the extent to which it has garnered influence in Solomon Islands. Gordon Peake speaks with academics, on-the-ground observers and police officers to show that we may never reach 'peak police reform' and discovers the human casualties of...

There are so many announcements of new programs and projects in the Pacific these days but how much impact and influence do all the efforts actually bring? University of Adelaide Professor Joanne Wallis sends writer and podcaster Gordon Peake on a quest to find out. He talks with academics, policy makers and a senior East Timorese minister to discover that, for all the mechanistic and bloodless la...