Tag
COFA

Reimagining Strategic Denial in the Indo-Pacific for Contemporary Competition With China
By Jonah Bock
Today the threat to U.S. interests posed by adversaries has become much more multi-faceted. The understanding of strategic denial must also evolve.

The Importance of America’s Pacific Family
By Cleo Paskal
Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are the United States’ closest allies. And they’re essential for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Is This the End of the COFA Saga?
By Patricia O’Brien
With COFA funding expected to finally get congressional approval, the U.S. will need to work to overcome the negative perceptions generated by the protracted struggle to fund vital U.S. Pacific partners.

COFA Collateral Damage and Its Consequences: A View from Palau
By Patricia O’Brien
Palau President Surangel Whipps says that “there was optimism and hope” when the Palau-U.S. compact agreement was signed. But concerns are mounting as funding stalls in the U.S. Congress.

US Congress’ COFA Delay Jeopardizes a Key Element of the ’Free and Open Indo-Pacific’
By Cleo Paskal
The U.S. government concluded COFA renewal talks with Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands in 2023. Months later, Congress has yet to approve the funding.

China Threatens US Interests in Micronesia, Former President Warns
By Camilla Pohle
If Compact funding remains stuck in limbo, the Freely Associated States will be increasingly vulnerable to China’s influence, David Panuelo warned.

‘Oppenheimer,’ Nuclear Amnesia, and the US Pacific Legacy
By Patricia O’Brien
At the very time the Marshall Islands COFA negotiations began to falter over the U.S. atomic legacy, “Oppenheimer” appeared in cinemas.

US Pacific Policy Forges Ahead With Successful 2nd Summit
By Patricia O’Brien
Despite domestic political headwinds, Biden’s engagement at the second U.S.-Pacific Islands summit was welcomed, as were newly announced funds, initiatives and an expanding diplomatic footprint.

US Pacific Policy in China’s Shadow
By Cleo Paskal
Washington has indeed stepped up engagement, but missteps, half-steps, and mixed messaging are getting in the way.

US Given OK to Enforce Maritime Law Around Palau as Washington Vies With China for Pacific Influence
By David Rising
U.S. Coast Guard ships can now enforce regulations inside Palau's exclusive economic zone on behalf of the nation without a Palauan officer present.

Politics Risk Derailing One of America’s Most Important Strategic Agreements
By Cleo Paskal
China is the biggest winner from the current train wreck that is the Marshall Islands–United States COFA negotiations.

Despite Biden’s Absence, US Makes Inroads With Pacific Islands
By Nick Perry and Shannon Tiezzi
President Biden had to cancel his trip to the Pacific Island country, so Secretary of State Blinken oversaw the signing of new deals with Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and Palau.

Pacific Migrants Are Caught in the Tangled Web of US Healthcare Politics
By Sandeep Kandikuppa, Paulina Perman, and Mary Therese Perez Hattori
COFA migrants’ struggle to access Medicaid is a microcosm of the inequities that still plague the U.S. approach to Pacific Island communities.

US Compacts of Free Association Are Key to Deterring a Taiwan Contingency
By Angela Smith
The current COFA renegotiation processes will have a huge impact on peace in the Pacific.

The US Is Squandering Its COFA Advantage in the Pacific
By Patricia O’Brien
The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) between the U.S. and the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau touch on nearly every U.S. national priority. So why are renegotiations stuck in limbo?

How the US Can Protect the Sovereignty of the Smallest Pacific Islands
By Alexander B. Gray
As the Biden administration confronts China’s growing assertiveness, the challenges confronting the smallest Pacific Islands should be front of mind.

How the Pacific Islands Forum Fell Apart
By Cleo Paskal
The decision by Micronesian countries to leave the PIF will have major strategic implications.

Delayed Chuuk Secession Vote a Win for US Policy in Oceania
By Derek Grossman
Chuuk’s decision to delay a secession vote is a significant victory for America’s diplomatic, economic, and security competition with China in the Pacific Islands.

Rethinking Palau's Place in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific
By Michael Walsh
Palau has the potential to meaningfully participate in more subregional architectures and initiatives.

The United States Needs a COFA Strategy
By Michael Walsh
Over the next few years, the United States is expected to start renegotiating the terms of its Compacts of Free Association.
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