Australian Security and Development in Solomon Islands

Abstract

This paper considers the Australian intervention in Solomon Islands as evidence of Mark Duffield's claim that the concept of development has been reinterpreted or ‘radicalised’ in the post-Cold War period. Duffield's contention that development now incorporates more transformative measures to address the concern among Northern states for conflict resolution is presented as a manifestation of the security–development nexus. The following argues that although Duffield's analysis cannot be applied to Solomon Islands without qualification, his claims provide insights into the disjuncture between Australian governmental declarations, policy and policy outcomes in regard to the ongoing Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

Notes

¹This question was raised and discussed in a paper presented by Derek McDougall at the Third Oceanic Conference on International Studies (OCIS) entitled The Security–Development Nexus: Comparing Development Strategies in East Timor and the Southwest Pacific in the context of External Interventions, University of Queensland, 2–4 July 2008.

²Thomas Davis (2002, 128–9) has characterised recent tension between Australian policy declarations and outcomes in Papua New Guinea in this way.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rory Mckibbin

Rory Mckibbin is a PhD candidate in the School of Social Sciences at La Trobe University. He is grateful to the Journal's anonymous referees, as well as Dr Michael O'Keefe and Dr Michael Connors for their constructive comments on earlier drafts of this paper.