A Cold War-style scenario is developing in the Asia-Pacific region and Papua New Guinea is the bacon in the sandwich (as it were)! By now, we know who the chief protagonists in this confrontation are! The nature of this confrontation will range from an outright arms race, alliance-formation along ideological or historical ties, territorial claims or disputes over access to territorial areas of economic and strategic importance, and the creation of impoverished client states (who will be pawns in the geo-political games happening around them)! At the rate Papua New Guinea is going, it is becoming clear that the PNG state will end up as a client state. Its porous borders and natural resources, even territorial/air space will be cheaply bought off and intruded endlessly by the major powers. Sadly, PNG is not prepared for this eventuality! PNG has never conditioned or trained itself to be independent and mature in its interactions with its neighbors. Presently PNG lacks independence and autonomy in defining itself in the region. Its national interest and sovereignty is a misnomer as its leaders recklessly sell-out to the interest of the Australians, the Chinese and the Indonesians. PNG is morally bankrupt as it turns a blind eye to its Melanesian cousins in West Papua. The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), a sub-regional grouping that can collectively act to buffer superpower influence is rendered divided by the soft-power antics of an Asian power - the Republic of Indonesia! PNG has not demonstrated leadership potential in that grouping! How can it speak with force and influence if it is a scared little player in this corner of the world, succumbing to the demands of regional bullies? Indeed, the outdated and uninspiring foreign policy thinking by PNG since 1975 does not auger well for the looming geo-political shifts happening right inside our neighborhood! The Second Cold War is happening in this region and we are not prepared to stand independent of the major protagonists in this confrontation!
Posted on: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 07:02:10 +0000
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