YARRA VALLEY GRAMMAR YEAR 10 FLASHPOINTS AUSTRALIA THE

YARRA VALLEY GRAMMAR YEAR 10: FLASHPOINTS AUSTRALIA & THE ARC OF INSTABILITY

MAP OF AUSTRALIA and the PACIFIC

What is the ARC of INSTABILITY? One of the key features of the Asia-Pacific region in the late 20 th and early 21 centuries has been the emergence of failed states within our region. These failed states include: �Solomon Islands �East Timor �Possibly PNG These states are referred to as the arc of instability to the north of Australia.

Map : Arc of Instabiliy

What has caused this arc of instability? �Secessionism �State Failure �Ethnic Conflict

Debate within Australia re: arc of instability �According to Robert Ayson, the arc of instability became an important part of the foreign policy debate over whether the focus of Australia’s strategic priorities should be increasingly global (e. g. war on terror) or local (focus on immediate region) �The ‘arc of instability’ metaphor was adopted by many ALP politicians to argue that the former Howard Government was neglecting South Pacific security challenges, despite the actions of this government in East Timor’s move towards independence.

RUDD and GILLARD GOVERNMENTS The Rudd and Gillard governments have adopted a more multilateral approach to the Pacific region: �Port Moresby Declaration (March 2008) which supported the use of Millennium Developments Goals as a form of nation-building within the region �Support for a visa scheme for Pacific Island labour for Australia �Continuation of military intervention in potentially failed states, e. g. Solomon Islands, East Timor.

RUDD and GILLARD GOVERNMENTS Rudd’s first official state visit as PM was to Papua New Guinea in March 2008. He pledged: �Additional funds to fight the spread of AIDS in the region and for reconstruction in the Solomon Islands � He promised that the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was there for the long haul, consistent with the initiatives of the Howard Government. �Australia would host the Pacific Islands Forum in 2009, after a 14 year gap in leadership of this organisation.

MAP OF SOLOMON ISLANDS