Eddie Walsh

“Fiji’s influence in the region (and internationally) has undoubtedly been diminished by the past half decade of military rule. The balance of power in the region is moving, in general terms, from Polynesia to Melanesia - and Papua New Guinea has filled some of the vacuum left by Fiji’s absence in regional forums in the past several years. Despite Fijian attempts at a ‘divide and rule’ strategy within the region, Pacific Island countries have remained generally quite united behind the proposition that relations with Suva will only be fully normalized under conditions of a return to civilian rule. Whether this loss of Fijian influence will be reversed in coming years is hard to gauge (though Fiji’s role as a geographical and transport hub would argue for the positive on this).”

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