Dr. Al Oehlers has a new article published by Islands Business News called “Who will welcome Bougainville?” The article discusses the newly independent Bougainville, its recent elections and the regional reaction – or lack thereof.

According to Oehlers, “Most certainly, there are sensitivities to be navigated. And some of these are purely “internal” among Pacific neighbors, such as the Solomon Islands and recent secession issues around Malaita. It will be interesting to watch how bilateral relations between Pacific nations, PNG and an emerging Bougainville evolve in future, and how any such sensitivities will be accounted for.”

The views expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, U.S. Pacific Command, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.