The Pacific Microstates and US Security

The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest geographical feature, covering approximately one third of the Earth’s exterior. By its all-inclusive definition, the Pacific Basin accounts for approximately two-fifths of the world’s surface and nearly half of the world’s population. Not surprisingly, then, the nations that comprise the Pacific Rim are dissimilar in many fundamental respects — from culture to political systems to economic orders — and range from global powers like rich and stable Japan to microstates like bankrupt Nauru and volatile Fiji. This latter category of small, Pacific island nations in what is generally referred to as Oceania — in particular, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau — are uniquely relevant to Pacific security issues. These forgotten places are characterized by limited natural and human resources, lack of infrastructure and geographical isolation, making their political, economic and military significance seem minimal. But these characteristics also make them vulnerable to terrorist activity and great-power influence. Although they are frequently overlooked diplomatically in the international system, these island-states are important for the security of the United States. For example, they play a role in its global “war on terror” and the looming strategic rivalry with the People’s Republic of China over the Pacific region. The U.S. must engage these microstates diplomatically if it wishes to secure this region.