This book examines the security and insecurity issues of Pacific Island Countries (PICs) from their local perspectives. This is not just about global security and peace from war, but community and individual security – including alleviation of environmental challenges, gender-based violence (GBV), and complex crime issues.

Editors Sara N. Amin, Danielle Watson, and Christian Girard have assembled 23 writers in 17 chapters to map issues of security in the Pacific through the lenses of context, gender, and organisational culture.

As a Defence chaplain, key questions I bring as a reader and reviewer are: what can I learn about our Pacific region and its (in)security issues that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) may assist with? Like COVE's Know Your Region series explores, who are the people in our neighbouring islands and what is their history of international engagement? What can I learn about how chaplaincy may support Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief, working with partners from PIC militaries, key religious leader engagement, and identifying where and how to advocate for gender issues and especially GBV?

I began to understand GBV in conflict zones from Preventing Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War (ISME Volume 5). More specifically for our regional context, I was helped to realise the importance of religion and gender dynamics in understanding Pacific neighbours in Religion and Development in the Asia-Pacific. This book deals more specifically with security issues, albeit with a helpful lens of gender and attention to local culture and religion.

Part 1 focuses on the context of reframing security in the Pacific.

Paul J. Carnegie and Victor T. King in “Mapping circumstances in Oceania: Reconsidering human security in an age of globalisation” argue that to understand day-to-day insecurities in Oceania it is helpful to understand not just international relations but concepts such as individual freedom, development, certainty, safety, trust, and respect (or lack thereof). They highlight challenges of rural-urban drift, unemployment, “land grabs”, and some of the highest rates of suicide globally especially among youth.

Mathew Dornan in “Economic (In)Security in the Pacific” explores how security interacts with economic development. He shows how vulnerable PICs are to external shocks of climate change and natural disasters, and to changing commodity prices and limited insurance access.

Greg Dvorak’s “Resisting the Tides: Responding to Nuclear and Environmental ‘Insecurity’ in the Marshall Islands” unveils the traumatic memories of displacement and health and food insecurities brought about by nuclear testing and alleged medical experimentation. The Marshall Islands have, as a result, been vocal in peacemaking and anti-nuclear movements, including thriving women’s peace movements. The expression jejmaan juuri suggests “when women talk, the men must stop fighting and listen”.

Anand Chand and Tauisi Taupo discuss two PICs most affected by climate change: “Impact of Natural Disasters and Climate Change on National Security in the Pacific: Case Studies of Kiribati and Tuvalu”. They discuss links between natural disasters, climate change, economic, food and water insecurities, and national security and sovereignty; critically important given the possible extinction of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Interestingly, Australia has offered citizenship to people of these countries if needed, in exchange for rights to license their territorial waters.

Part 2 of the book discusses sources of gender insecurity in the Pacific, including under-representing of women, discrimination, sexual prejudices, and inadequate working conditions – often stemming from traditional gender roles. It is awful that 2 of 3 women in some PICs experience violence form their intimate partner, often blamed on the woman and often related to theological ideas of sin, morality, the natural order, and male entitlement.

Penelope Schoeffel in “Human Security, International Agenda and Responses to Calls for ‘Women’s Empowerment’” argues that development approaches for the empowerment of women need greater attention to local contexts, with an insightful case study from Samoa.

Sara N. Amin, Tanya Trussler, and James Johnson unpack another specific country example in “Mapping Gender Security-Insecurity in Fiji: Rape Myths and Sexual Prejudice”, detailing statistics and misguided myths of how violence against women and exclusion of sexual minorities is normalised.

Nicole George demonstrates the importance of gender considerations in peacebuilding in “Gender and Postconflict Security Sector Reform: Experiences from Bougainville and Solomon Islands”.

Andreas Kopf, Michael Fink, and Eberhard Weber in “Gender vulnerability to climate change and natural hazards: The case of Tropical Cyclone Winston, Fiji” evaluate women’s disproportionate vulnerability and the need for broad social change to build resilience for future natural disasters and climate change impacts. Exchange of sexual services for food in the aftermath of disasters and the need for shelter and protection from rape are among the issues Gender Advisors are attuned to.

Richard A. Davis asks “Can Theology Contribute to the Security of Women in the Pacific Household?” He argues good theology can reduce violence against women. This is especially important in PICs with their high rates of Christian identity and churchgoing yet with grassroots beliefs and practices that often justify “wife-beating”. Davis offers that Joseph’s model of strong masculinity in responding graciously and non-violently to Mary’s pregnancy despite apparent unfaithfulness (Matthew 1:18-25) models the kind of mutual respect and sanctuary many Pacific women need.

 Sara N. Amin and Christian Girard advocate for transgendered individuals in “Insecurities and Strategies of the Leiti (Transgender) Community in Tonga and the Role of Businesses and Indigenous Reconciliation Practices” with a powerful interview of Joey Joleen Mataele, founder of the Tonga Leitis Association.

Part 3 explores the organisational culture of PICs and their state and non-state actors in policing.

Danielle Watson and Sinclair Dinnen investigate external interventions for providing security, including problems of first-world interventions to small island territories in “Contextualizing Policing in Melanesia: History, Adaptation and Adoption Problematized”.

Miranda Forsyth examines “Policing Sorcery Accusation Related Violence in Papua New Guinea” and highlights the need for attention to relational networks and cultural norms for police and communities devising strategies.

Sinclair Dinnen in “Insecurity, Policing and Marketisation: Papua New Guinea’s Changing Security Landscape” details the growing private security industry and its political economy and sometimes nepotism, and the likely beneficiaries and losers from this trend.

Natasha Khan’s “Mapping Military Reform in Fiji: Timing it Right” explains the succession of coups and political-military relationships in Fiji. She considers the challenges of future reform towards a military that more ethnically reflects society with Indo-Fijians and their Hindu and Muslim identity.

Danielle Watson and James Johnson’s chapter “Organization Repositioning for Improved Security Provision: Lessons from Guam on Implementing Community Policing” argues effective security is dependent on the relationship of policing organisations to their communities including greater inclusion of women, exemplified by Chief of Police Joseph Cruz’s interview.

Overall, the book argues for greater attention to local context and indigenous knowledge, the vulnerability of women in gender issues, and the pressing need to recognise and foster Pacific agency and resilience. Written by and for scholars and students of sociology, development, environmental, politics, criminology, theology, and ethics – Mapping Security in the Pacific is relevant also for ADF Gender Advisors, Civil Military Cooperation [CIMIC], Military Police, Chaplaincy, and others seeking situational awareness of PICs.