January 8, 2025
JAKARTA – Vanuatu’s devastating earthquake and dramatic political developments in Tonga and New Caledonia at the end of 2024 set the tone for the coming year in the Pacific. The incoming Trump administration adds another level of uncertainty, ranging from the geostrategic competition with China and the region’s resulting militarization through to the United States response to climate change. And decolonization for a number of territories in the Pacific will remain in focus as the region’s largest country celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence.
The deadly 7.3 earthquake that struck Port Vila on Dec. 17 has left Vanuatu reeling. As the country moves…