"Failed States" meeting in WA

by Vic Williams

At a meeting organised by the No War Alliance WA in Perth on September 4, 
Anna Pha, editor of The Guardian, spoke on Australian intervention 
in the Solomon Islands. She gave a brief background to the situation, 
outlined some of the reasons behind Australia's involvement and explained 
the doctrine of "failed states" which was the excuse given for Australia's 
actions.

The Solomons is a state containing 1000 islands and a population of half a 
million with 60 languages. The majority of the people are very poor, but 
the islands are rich in timber, palm oil, gold and other mineral resources. 
The functioning gold mine near Honiara has been closed because of recent 
political and social disturbances.

Britain had colonised the Solomons in the 19th century. The Japanese 
military invaded them in World War II and the US retook them during the war 
in fierce fighting at Guadalcanal. The Solomon Islands gained independence 
in 1978. Now Australian police and military forces, accompanied by a small 
number of personnel from other Pacific islands, have moved in to take 
control.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), financed by the Federal 
Government, produced a report entitled Our Failing Neighbour which outlined 
the plan for Australian military, police and economic intervention in the 
Solomon Islands.

The ASPI claimed that the Solomon Islands was not viable as an independent 
state, but with Australia's "intervention" could become viable as a 
"political community".

The Howard Government has taken this action, claiming that the Solomons is 
a "failed state".

The doctrine of "failed states" advocates the use of the military, police 
forces and private security forces in "failed states" by a handful of 
powerful Western countries in order to redraw the political map of the 
world. It is recolonisation by another name.

Such an aggressive policy under the direction of the Australian Government 
could see attempts by Australia to take over other Pacific Island states, 
such as Bougainville where Rio Tinto's copper mine was closed by the people 
and Papua New Guinea.

Australia's plans were laid out in a recent Senate Committee report which 
included a proposal for a "Pacific economic and political community" with a 
single currency based on the Australian dollar.

Such a community, as proposed by the report, would be controlled by 
Australian interests, and aimed at opening up the island economies to 
further exploitation of their resources and privatisation of essential 
services such as water.

There are also proposals for the transport of workers from Pacific island 
nations as seasonal farm labour in Australia.

The committee which adopted these proposals were from the Liberal, National 
and Labor Parties and the Australian Democrats.

The ACTU expressed support for such an indentured labour scheme to provide 
the workers with training, skills and money to remit home.

Anna Pha also outlined how the Australian Government is also attempting to 
use aid money to bully Pacific countries and force its plans for the region 
on the Pacific Islands Forum.