Divided Isles

Solomon Islands and the China Switch

Edward Acton Cavanough

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English

LA TROBE UNIVERSITY PRESS
19 September 2023

History; International relations

In 2019, Solomon Islands made international headlines when the country severed its decades-old alliance with Taiwan in exchange for a partnership with Beijing. The decision prompted international condemnation and terrified Australian security experts, who feared Australia’s historical Pacific advantage would come unstuck.

This development is often framed as another example of China’s inevitable capture of the region – but this misrepresents how and why the decision was made, and how Solomon Islanders have skilfully leveraged global angst over China to achieve extraordinary gains. Despite Solomon Islands’ importance to Australia, local readers know little about the country, a fragile island-nation stretching over a thousand islands and speaking seventy indigenous languages.

In Divided Isles, Edward Cavanough explains how the switch played out on the ground and its extraordinary potential consequences. He speaks with the dissidents and politicians who shape Solomon Islands’ politics, and to the ordinary people whose lives have been upended by a decision that has changed the country – and the region – forever.

By: Edward Acton Cavanough
Imprint: LA TROBE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 233mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 416g
ISBN: 9781760644192
ISBN 10: 1760644196
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 19 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Edward Acton Cavanough is a journalist, researcher and policy analyst based in Adelaide. He has reported from Afghanistan, China, Mongolia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. His writing has appeared in The Saturday Paper, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, The Nation, The South China Morning Post and The Australian. His forthcoming book is Divided Isles.