tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post6029068031265264467..comments2023-11-01T04:14:15.636+12:00Comments on Intelligentsiya: Lowy Institute attempts to be relevantChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01291952121795963341noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post-11095069126895354302011-05-22T09:15:55.688+12:002011-05-22T09:15:55.688+12:00@ KTF.
My sincere advice regarding the Lowy Ins i...@ KTF.<br /><br />My sincere advice regarding the Lowy Ins in general & JHJ in particular - is the less you have too do with them the better we'll be. AUS (LI -DFAT) policy towards Viti since the coup has been a shambles from day one. Fortunately for Viti others more capable are now becoming increasingly involved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post-7496764687240320272011-05-11T14:09:32.200+12:002011-05-11T14:09:32.200+12:00I have also heard about this conference. It is not...I have also heard about this conference. It is not being funded by AusAID but by foundation & private sector support.Jarodnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post-61751707258170098542011-05-09T09:39:50.095+12:002011-05-09T09:39:50.095+12:00Vinaka Anon @ 5 May 2011 23:25
We'd really ra...Vinaka Anon @ 5 May 2011 23:25<br /><br />We'd really rather not engage with LI as in this instance we're simply giving them notice that their thoughts need work.<br /><br />The bottom-line is that they are not our target audience.<br /><br />But if THEY are sincere about putting forward perspectives that really matter for the Pacific, they can start by opening up the space for this in NZ where we understand AusAID is funding them to host another talk-fest in the margins of the Forum leaders meeting.Keep The Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067658546911329135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post-58460151504807972862011-05-05T23:25:08.361+12:002011-05-05T23:25:08.361+12:00Keep the faith - you make some good points.
1. Th...Keep the faith - you make some good points.<br /><br />1. The lowy is an Australian think-tank housing Australian experts on regions. It surely works hard (it's a small organization) to let private sector, civil society, academics & government from both Australia and around the region to feed into this discussion. I'm not sure the Australian government has the capacity to form relationships with landowners?<br /><br />2. I don't think the lowy ever pretends to be the end/be all of viewpoints on Melanesia? At least in Australia they don't come across that way. There are other think-tanks, academics, politicians etc who share their views on the pacific. What experts do you think the lowy and others should be capitalizing on?<br /><br />3. It is an Australian program on Melanesia, there are others at anu university for example. I don't think Jennie paper is suggesting softening the approach to Fiji. Likely Bainimarama would reject a multi-coalition approach which could result in the countries involved further isolating Fiji and leaving Fiji few bilateral relationships left to build on and capitalize on<br /><br />4. There are many avenues for engagement with lowy, they have regular free seminars and I read their blog that many different people write into or reply to other blogs - there's a thought?<br /><br />I don't agree that Australia should hold firm but why don't you submit a blog to lowy in response to the one that Jenny wrote recently that explains your argument?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post-61842193684774952382011-05-05T10:30:17.621+12:002011-05-05T10:30:17.621+12:00@ Anon 20:43
At the risk of getting entrenched in...@ Anon 20:43<br /><br />At the risk of getting entrenched in an academic debate, here are our responses to each supposed "gap" in our argument:<br /><br />1) It is a matter of perspective. If may not be yielding tangible results for Australia (because Aust is clearly becoming jittery about other new powers exerting influence in the Pacific at Fiji's lead) but it is yielding results in Fiji. The military regime abhor the fact that they cannot traipse into Australia, NZ, USA, EU at will and they lash out by seeking new friends for economic purposes primarily -- how far they can really go with these new economic relationships at the end of day depends on those who ultimately hold the power in Fiji ie the landowners -- and we see the regime treading very carefully know to mend relationships with landowners. And to our minds, it is landowners in the Pacific where Australia should be focussing on. Lowy would know this like second nature, if it truly was an "expert" on Melanesia.<br /><br />2) Granted Lowy makes recommendations to the Australian Government, but it cannot pretend to be the "be-all" and "end-all" of Melanesia/Fiji in couching a point of view to help Australia. Where are the REAL perspectives from our home-grown experts (and not merely tokenistic) feeding into the debate? Australia has inherited many of our best minds and Lowy has not capitalized on this. What Fiji/Melanesia/the Pacific does NOT need are endless debates/talk-fests that are supposed to be "for our good" but dictated by a causasian worldview (that has not been honoured with the experience of context), that in these times only feed into the "colonialistically imposed" rhetoric.<br /><br />3) The author is cited as:<br />JENNY HAYWARD-JONES<br />Program Director<br />The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program<br />Tel: +61 2 8238 9037<br />jhayward-jones@lowyinstitute.org<br /><br />Surely then the assumption is that she is some kind of expert on Melanesia? Indeed all her other papers cement that view.<br /><br />If so then this program cannot pretend to serve 2 masters. It is either Melanesia or Australia. I have responded in another blog post that Jones's solutions can still happen without Australia softening its approach using back-channel avenues, because the semantic exercise that a change in position by Australia will eventually be couched under reduces Australia's negotiating leverage with the regime to nothing. All Australia has to go by then is Bainimarama's word -- and we all know how valuable that is.<br /><br />4) It was not our intention to slam think-tanks. They are valuable. They have a place in development but most of the think-tanks now that purport to be experts of the Pacific region are missing out on valuable & real perspectives and therefore only promote an elitist point of view.<br /><br />5) Kudo's to Jones's for caring! But let it be real is all we're saying. It is highly debatable that Australia's political interest would ever wane -- the commentators are a dime a dozen (us included) but we know that this part of the world has become strategic on many fronts.<br /><br />Please be under no illusion that if Australia folds, the rest of the globe falls would follow suit and that ultimately would be throwing citizens of Fiji under a bus and the up and coming leadership of Fiji will never forget it.<br /><br />If Australia truly wishes to provides leadership in the region then BE THE LEADER and hold firm. All the rest will follow your lead.Keep The Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067658546911329135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7745785272753572871.post-42306172130874814722011-05-04T20:43:35.150+12:002011-05-04T20:43:35.150+12:00There are three clear gaps in your argument:
1. T...There are three clear gaps in your argument:<br /><br />1. The current Australian strategy that has existed for years has not yielded any results, there is obvious space and a need for a different strategy<br /><br />2. This paper is recommendations to the Australian Government, not to Melanesia or to Fiji<br /><br />3. This paper makes no statements about its aim being to 'help Melanesia' it is attempting to provide different options to the Australian government to help the Australian governments relationship with Fiji<br /><br />It is very clear that don't understand how the Australian Government works or the role of think-tanks - they exist to promote discussion on issues they believe are important. Without institutes such as the Lowy Institute promoting the importance of the Pacific Island region to Australia (I am sure we can agree on that?) - the region would get even less discussion/attention in Australia as it currently does. You don't have to agree with each Australian academic or think-tankers opinion but at least they are getting the media and the Australian Government to think more deeply about issues that they would otherwise ignore or sweep under the carpet. <br /><br />At least this woman cares about Australia's relationship with the region - she forms part of a shrinking group of Australian commentatorsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com