2025/01/01 by Wesley-Smith, Terence
Social Sciences · #Asian American and Pacific Histories #China #Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration #Geopolitical competition #Indo-Pacific Strategy #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs #US foreign policy #regional security
paper · doi:10.26021/16145
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/11/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Increased geopolitical competition has caused the United States to pay more attention to the Pacific Islands region than at any time since the end of the Cold War. This article explores how Washington’s outreach to the Pacific has developed in recent years, and how President Trump’s approach differs in fundamental ways from that of President Biden. It also outlines some key implications for Pacific states as they pursue their own, increasingly elusive, security interests. I argue that the region as a whole is less secure as a result of increased geopolitical competition, and that the collective ability of Island states to manage its impacts had been significantly eroded—even before Trump resumed office.