Podcasts about pacific islands

In December 2025, a four-ship People's Liberation Army Navy task group - including an amphibious assault ship capable of carrying 1,000 Marines and 30 helicopters - tracked southeast through the Western Pacific, passing through waters near Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. Australia scrambled surveillance aircraft. Pacific Island leaders said almost nothing publicly. Most of the world barely noticed.Our guest noticed - because she was there. Ambassador Laura Stone just retired as the US Ambassador to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, capping a distinguished Foreign Service career that included multiple tours in Beijing and serving as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China. She joins hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso to explain why this naval activity matters far more than the headlines suggest.In this episode: What is China's “second island cloud” strategy, and why does the Marshall Islands sit at its center? What is the Compact of Free Association, and why does it make the Marshall Islands far more than just a remote atoll? What is Kwajalein Atoll, and why should you Google it right now? How is China using economic influence, bribery, and Belt and Road investment to gain a foothold in the Pacific - and what's working (and not working) in the US response? What does the gutting of USAID mean for the Pacific Islands? And what does the nuclear legacy of US atomic testing still mean for Marshallese people today?Ambassador Stone also paints a frank picture of the Marshall Islands' future - a country losing 3–5% of its population per year to outward migration, sitting just six feet above sea level, facing an existential climate threat that Washington is no longer prioritizing.

Drugs and gangs have created an explosion in HIV cases in Fiji.This week on Battle Lines: Global Health Security, Arthur Scott-Geddes is joined by Sarah Newey, The Telegraph's correspondent in Bangkok who recently travelled to Fiji, and Dr Jason Mitchell, the head of the country's HIV task force.On the archipelago known as the gateway to the Pacific, Chinese triads, Mexican cartels, and Australian biker gangs are all involved in a booming methamphetamine trade.The result is that an island paradise is now home to the fastest-growing HIV epidemic on earth.Read Sarah's dispatch from Fiji:The island paradise with the world's fastest growing HIV epidemichttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/fiji-island-paradise-with-the-worlds-fastest-growing-HIV-epidemic/Producer: Sophie O'SullivanExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsStudio Operator: Meghan Searle► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorContact us with feedback or ideas:battlelines@telegraph.co.uk@venetiarainey@ascottgeddes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Group A strep might sound like a simple sore throat—but for many children and families in American Samoa, it can have life-threatening consequences. In this episode of the MotherToBaby Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Anaise Uso, a public health leader and mother, who shares both her professional and deeply personal experiences with strep infections, rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Together, we explore: What Group A Strep is and the common signs of strep throat and skin infections. How untreated infections can progress into rheumatic fever and, ultimately, rheumatic heart disease. The unique challenges in American Samoa, where children are three times more likely to be affected than in neighboring Pacific Islands. The role of screening, prevention, and treatment programs, including antibiotics and regular monitoring. A personal story of Dr. Uso's son, who was diagnosed with RHD at age three, and how their family manages his care. How partnerships with CDC, AMCHP, and MotherToBaby are helping build resources, raise awareness, and strengthen prevention efforts. This episode highlights why early detection, treatment, and community awareness are critical - not only to protect children's immediate health, but also to prevent lifelong complications.

My guest this week is Will Adkison- co-owner and cook of Sweet and Salty Island Grindz, specializing in authentic Hawaiian BBQ and Pacific Islander Cuisine.  They started as a food truck in 2020 and moved into  Henry's Depot in Sanford and also Halls on 5th in Apopka.   We talked about even though he was not a chef he had a passion and love for cooking and decided he wanted to start Sweet and Salty,  using locally sourced ingredients or shipped directly from Hawaii.  Will spoke about everything from the importance of Community to word of mouth and his Hot Butted Chicken Katsu sandwich going viral on Tik Tok.  Lunch with Biggie is a podcast about small business and creatives sharing their stories and inspiring you to pursue your passion, with some sandwich talk on the side. Created, edited, and produced in Orlando, FL by Biggie- the owner of the sandwich-themed clothing brand- ⁠⁠Deli Fresh Threads⁠⁠. Sweet and Salty Island Grindz Social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetandsalty.igBiggie's Social: ⁠⁠Deli Fresh Thread's Instagram⁠⁠- ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/delifreshthreads/Podcast's Instagram⁠⁠- ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/lunchwithbiggiePodcast's Facebook Group⁠⁠- ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/lunchwithbiggie⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Podcast's Twitter-⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/LunchwithBiggie⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Deli Fresh Threads⁠⁠- ⁠⁠ ⁠https://DeliFreshThreads.com

The Pacific Islands will once again be without Super Rugby in 2026. Tonga was set to host Moana Pasifika against the Chiefs on 11 April but is now searching for an alternative venue due to a lack of funding. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Japan will invite young and mid-level defense officials from Pacific island countries starting in fiscal 2026, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Monday.

In this episode of the China Desk Podcast, host Steve Yates speaks with Indo-Pacific expert Cleo Paskal about China's growing influence across the Pacific Islands and why the region is central to U.S. national security. The conversation explores geopolitical competition in Oceania, corruption and political warfare, Taiwan diplomacy, Guam's strategic role, and how Chinese economic projects intersect with military strategy. Paskal breaks down the “3.5-tier” framework for understanding Pacific Island priorities and explains why Americans should pay closer attention to the region's strategic importance. Watch Full-Length Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@ChinaDeskFNW

APEX Express is a weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. On this episode, the Stop AAPI Hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council discuss a new report on anti–Pacific Islander hate. They examine the documented impacts of hate, structural barriers Pacific Islander communities face in reporting and accessing support, and the long-standing traditions of resistance and community care within PI communities.   Important Links: Stop AAPI Hate Stop AAPI Hate Anti-Pacific Islander Hate Report If you have questions related to the report, please feel free to contact Stop AAPI Hate Research Manager Connie Tan at ctan@stopaapihate.org Community Calendar: Upcoming Lunar New Year Events Saturday, February 14 – Sunday, February 15 – Chinatown Flower Market Fair, Grant Avenue (fresh flowers, arts activities, cultural performances) Tuesday, February 24 – Drumbeats, Heartbeats: Community as One, San Francisco Public Library (Lunar New Year and Black History Month celebration) Saturday, February 28 – Oakland Lunar New Year Parade, Jackson Street Saturday, March 7 – Year of the Horse Parade, San Francisco Throughout the season – Additional Lunar New Year events, including parades, night markets, and museum programs across the Bay Area and beyond. Transcript: [00:00:00]  Miata Tan: Hello and welcome. You are tuning in to Apex Express, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host, Miata Tan and tonight we're examining community realities that often go under reported. The term A API, meaning Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is an [00:01:00] acronym we like to use a lot, but Pacific Islander peoples, their histories and their challenges are sometimes mischaracterized or not spoken about at all. Stop A API Hate is a national coalition that tracks and responds to the hate experience by A API communities through reporting, research and advocacy. They've released a new report showing that nearly half of Pacific Islander adults experienced an act of hate in 2024 because of their race, ethnicity, or nationality. Tonight we'll share conversations from a recent virtual community briefing about the report and dive into its findings and the legacy of discrimination experienced by Pacific Islanders. Isa Kelawili Whalen: I think it doesn't really help that our history of violence between Pacific Islander Land and Sea and the United States, it already leaves a sour taste in your mouth. When we Pacifica. Think [00:02:00] about participating in American society and then to top it off, there's little to no representation of Pacific Islanders. Miata Tan: That was the voice of Isa Kelawili Whalen, Executive Director at API Advocates and a member of Stop, A API hates Pacific Islander Advisory Council. You'll hear more from Isa and the other members of the advisory council soon. But first up is Cynthia Choi, the co-founder of Stop, A API, Hate and co-Executive Director of Chinese for affirmative action. Cynthia will help to ground us in the history of the organization and their hopes for this new report about Pacific Islander communities. Cynthia Choi: As many of you know, Stop API Hate was launched nearly six years ago in response to anti-Asian hate during COVID-19 pandemic. And since then we've operated as the [00:03:00] nation's largest reporting center tracking anti A. PI Hate Acts while working to advance justice and equity for our communities. In addition to policy advocacy, community care and narrative work, research has really been Central to our mission because data, when grounded in community experience helps tell a fuller and more honest story about the harms our communities face. Over the years, through listening sessions and necessary and hard conversations with our PI community members and leaders, we've heard a consistent. An important message. Pacific Islander experiences are often rendered invisible when grouped under the broader A API umbrella and the forms of hate they experience are shaped by distinct histories, ongoing injustice, and unique cultural and political [00:04:00] context. This report is in response to this truth and to the trust Pacific Islander communities have placed in sharing their experience. Conducted in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, along with stories from our reporting center. we believe these findings shed light on the prevalence of hate, the multifaceted impact of hate and how often harm goes unreported. Our hope is that this report sparks deeper dialogue and more meaningful actions to address anti pi hate. We are especially grateful to the Pacific Islander leaders who have guided this work from the beginning. Earlier this year, uh, Stop API hate convened Pacific Islander Advisory Council made up of four incredible leaders, Dr. Jamaica Osorio Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha Church, Michelle Pedro, and Isa Whalen. Their leadership, wisdom [00:05:00] and care have been essential in shaping both our research and narrative work. Our shared goal is to build trust with Pacific Islander communities and to ensure that our work is authentic, inclusive, and truly reflective of lived experiences. These insights were critical in helping us interpret these findings with the depth and context they deserve.  Miata Tan: That was Cynthia Choi, the co-founder of Stop, A API, hate and co-Executive Director of Chinese for affirmative action. As Cynthia mentioned to collect data for this report, Stop A API Hate worked with NORC, a non-partisan research organization at the University of Chicago. In January, 2025, Stop A API. Hate and norc conducted a national survey that included 504 Pacific Islander respondents. The survey [00:06:00] examined the scope of anti Pacific Islander hate in 2024, the challenges of reporting and accessing support and participation in resistance and ongoing organizing efforts. We'll be sharing a link to the full report in our show notes at kpfa.org/program/apex-express. We also just heard Cynthia give thanks to the efforts of the Stop A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council. this council is a team of four Pacific Islander folks with a range of professional and community expertise who helped Stop A API hate to unpack and contextualize their new report. Tonight we'll hear from all four members of the PI Council. First up is Dr. Jamaica Osorio, a Kanaka Maoli wahine artist activist, and an Associate Professor of Indigenous and native Hawaiian politics [00:07:00] at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa . Here's Dr. Jamaica, reflecting on her initial reaction to the report and what she sees going on in her community. Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: Aloha kākou. Thank you for having us today. I think the biggest thing that stood out to me in the data and the reporting that I haven't really been able to shake from my head, and I think it's related to something we're seeing a lot in our own community, was the high levels of stress and anxiety that folks in our community were experiencing and how those high levels were almost, they didn't really change based on whether or not people had experienced hate. Our communities are living, um, at a threshold, a high threshold of stress and anxiety, um, and struggling with a number of mental health, issues because of that. And I think this is an important reminder in relationship to the broader work we might be doing, to be thinking about Stopping hate acts against folks in our community and in other communities, but really to think about what are the [00:08:00] conditions that people are living under that make it nearly unlivable for our communities to survive in this place. Uh, the, the other thing that popped out to me that I wanna highlight is the data around folks feeling less welcome. How hate acts made certain folks in our community feel less welcome where they're living. And I kind of wanna. Us to think more about the tension between being unwelcomed in the so-called United States, and the tension of the inability for many of our people to return home, uh, if they would've preferred to actually be in our ancestral homes. And what are. How are those conditions created by American Empire and militarism and nuclearization, kind of the stuff that we talked about as a panel early on but also as we move away from today's conversation thinking about like what is. The place of PIs in the so-called United States. Uh, what does it mean to be able to live in your ancestral homeland like myself, where America has come to us, and chosen to stay? What does it mean for our other PI family members who have [00:09:00] come to the United States? Because our homes have been devastated by us militarism and imperialism. That's what's sitting with me that I think may not. Immediately jump out of the reporting, but we need to continue to highlight, uh, in how we interpret. Miata Tan: That was Dr. Jamaica Osorio, an Associate Professor of Indigenous and native Hawaiian politics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Māno a.  Now let's turn to Isa Kelawili Whalen. Isa is the Executive Director of API Advocates and another member of the Stop A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council. Here Isa builds on what Dr. Jamaica was saying about feelings of stress and anxiety within the Pacific Islander communities. Okay. She also speaks from her experience as an Indigenous CHamoru and Filipino woman. Here's Isa. Isa Kelawili Whalen: [00:10:00] American society and culture is drastically different from Pacifica Island and our culture, our roots, traditions, and so forth, as are many ethnicities and identities out there. But for us who are trying to figure out how to constantly navigate between the two, it's a little polarizing. Trying to fit in into. American society, structure that was not made for us and definitely does not coincide from where we come from either. So it's hard to navigate and we're constantly felt, we feel like we're excluded, um, that there is no space for us. There's all these boxes, but we don't really fit into one. And to be honest, none of these boxes are really made for anyone to fit into one single box the unspoken truth. And so. A lot of the times we're too Indigenous or I'm too Pacifica, or I'm too American, even to our own families being called a coconut. A racial comment alluding to being one ethnicity on the inside versus the outside, and to that causes a lot of mental health harm, um, within ourselves, our [00:11:00] friends, our family, community, and understanding for one another. in addition to that. I think it doesn't really help that our history of violence between Pacific Islander Land and Sea and the United States, it already leaves a sour taste in your mouth. When we Pacifica. Think about participating in American society and then to top it off, there's little to no representation of Pacific Islanders, um, across. The largest platforms in the United States of America. It goes beyond just representation with civic engagement, um, and elected officials. This goes to like stem leadership positions in business to social media and entertainment. And when we are represented, it's something of the past. We're always connotated to something that's dead, dying or old news. And. we're also completely romanticized. This could look like Moana or even the movie Avatar. So I think the feeling of disconnected or unaccepted by American society at large is something that stood out to me in the [00:12:00] report and something I heavily resonate with as well. Miata Tan: That was Isa Kelawili Whalen, Executive Director at API Advocates and a member of the Stop A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council. As we heard from both Dr. Jamaica and Isa, the histories and impacts of hate against. Pacific Islander communities are complex and deeply rooted from ongoing US militarization to a lack of representation in popular culture. Before we hear from the two other members of the PI Advisory Council, let's get on the same page. What are we talking about when we talk about hate? Connie Tan is a research manager at Stop, A API hate and a lead contributor to their recent report on anti Pacific Islander hate. Here she is defining Stop A API hate's research framework for this project. [00:13:00]  Connie Tan: Our definition of hate is largely guided by how our communities define it through the reporting. So people have reported a wide range of hate acts that they perceive to be motivated by racial bias or prejudice. The vast majority of hate acts that our communities experience are not considered hate crimes. So there's a real need to find solutions outside of policing in order to address the full range of hate Asian Americans and Pacific Islander experience. We use the term hate act as an umbrella term to encompass the various types of bias motivated events people experience, including hate crimes and hate incidents. And from the survey findings, we found that anti PI hate was prevalent. Nearly half or 47% of PI adults reported experiencing a hate act due to their race, ethnicity, or nationality in 2024. And harassment such as being called a racial slur was the most common type of hate. Another [00:14:00] 27% of PI adults reported institutional discrimination such as unfair treatment by an employer or at a business. Miata Tan: That was Connie Tan from Stop. A API hate providing context on how hate affects Pacific Islander communities. Now let's return to the Pacific Islander Advisory Council who helped Stop A API hate to better understand their reporting on PI communities. The remaining two members of the council are Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha- Church, a first generation Afro Pacifican educator, speaker and consultant. And we also have Michelle Pedro, who is a California born Marshallese American advocate, and the policy and communications director at Arkansas's Coalition of the Marshallese. You'll also hear the voice of Stephanie Chan, the Director of Data and [00:15:00] Research at Stop A API Hate who led this conversation with the PI Council. Alrighty. Here's Esella reflecting on her key takeaways from the report and how she sees her community being impacted. Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha-Church: A piece of data that stood out to me is the six out of 10 PIs who have experienced hate, noted that it was an intersectional experience, that there are multiple facets of their identities that impacted the ways they experienced hate. And in my experience as Afro Pacifican. Nigerian Samoan, born and raised in South Central Los Angeles on Tonga land. That's very much been my experience, both in predominantly white spaces and predominantly API spaces as well. As an educator a piece of data that, that really stood out to me was around the rate at which. Pacific Islanders have to exit education. 20 years as a high school educator, public high school educator and college counselor. And that was [00:16:00] absolutely my experience when I made the choice to become an educator. And I moved back home from grad school, went back to my neighborhood and went to the school where I had assumed, because when I was little, this is where. My people were, were when I was growing up, I assumed that I would be able to, to put my degrees to use to serve other black PI kids. And it wasn't the case. Students were not there. Whole populations of our folks were missing from the community. And as I continued to dig and figure out, or try to figure out why, it was very clear that at my school site in particular, Samoan, Tongan, and Fijian students who were there. We're not being met where they are. Their parents weren't being met where they are. They didn't feel welcome. Coming into our schools, coming into our districts to receive services or ask for support it was very common that the only students who received support were our students who chose to play sports. Whereas as a theater and literature educator, I, I spent most of my time advocating for [00:17:00] block schedule. So that my students who I knew had, you know, church commitments after school, family commitments after school I needed to find ways to accommodate them. and I was alone in that fight, right? The entire district, the school the profession was not showing up for our students in the ways that they needed. Stephanie Chan: Thank you, Estella. Yeah, definitely common themes of, you know, what does belonging mean in our institutions, but also when the US comes to you, as Jamaica pointed out as well. Michelle, I'll turn it over to you next.  Michelle Pedro: Lakwe and greetings everyone. , A few things that pointed out to me or stood out to me. Was, um, the mental health aspect mental health is such a, a big thing in our community we don't like to talk about, especially in the Marshallese community. it's just in recent years that our youth is talking about it more. And people from my generation are learning about mental health and what it is in this society versus back home. It is so different. [00:18:00] When people move from Marshall Islands to the United States, the whole entire system is different. The system was not built for people like us, for Marshallese, for Pacific Islanders. It really wasn't. And so the entire structure needs to do more. I feel like it needs to do more. And the lack of education like Estella said. Back home. We have a lot of our folks move here who don't graduate from past like third grade. So the literacy, rate here in Arkansas my friends that our teachers, they say it's very low and I can only imagine what it is in the Marshallese community here. And. I hear stories from elders who have lived here for a while that in Arkansas it was a little bit scary living here because they did not feel welcome. They didn't feel like it was a place that they could express themselves. A lot of my folks say that they're tired of their race card,  but we [00:19:00] need to talk about race. We don't know what internal racism is, or systemic racism is in my community. We need to be explaining it to our folks where they understand it and they see it and they recognize it to talk about it more. Miata Tan: That was Michelle Pedro, Policy and Communications Director at Arkansas Coalition of the Marshallese, and a member of the Stop, A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council. Michelle shared with us that hate against Pacific Islander communities affects educational outcomes leading to lower rates of literacy, school attendance, and graduation. As Esella noted, considering intersectionality can help us to see the full scope of these impacts. Here's Connie Tan, a research manager at Stop, A API hate with some data on how PI communities are being targeted the toll this takes on their mental and physical [00:20:00] wellbeing. Connie Tan: And we saw that hate was intersectional. In addition to their race and ethnicity, over six, in 10 or 66% of PI adults said that other aspects of their identity were targeted. The top three identities targeted were for their age, class, and gender. And experiences with hate have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of PI Individuals with more than half or about 58% of PI adults reporting negative effects on their mental or physical health. It also impacted their sense of safety and altered their behavior. So for example, it is evidenced through the disproportionate recruitment of PI people into the military. And athletic programs as a result, many are susceptible to traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Miata Tan: That was Connie Tan with Stop. A API Hate. You are tuned [00:21:00] into Apex Express, a weekly radio show, uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. You'll hear more about Connie's research and the analysis from the Stop. A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council. In a moment. Stay with us. [00:22:00] [00:23:00] [00:24:00] [00:25:00]  Miata Tan: That was us by Ruby Ibarra featuring Rocky Rivera, Klassy and Faith Santilla. You are tuned into Apex Express on 94.1 KPFA, A weekly radio show [00:26:00] uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I'm your host Miata Tan. Tonight we're focused on our Pacific Islander communities and taking a closer look at a new report on anti Pacific Islander hate from the National Coalition, Stop A API hate. Before the break the Stop, A API, Pacific Islander Advisory Council shared how mental health challenges, experiences of hate and the effects of US militarization are all deeply interconnected in PI communities. Connie Tan, a research manager at Stop. A API Hate reflects on how a broader historical context helps to explain why Pacific Islanders experience such high rates of hate. Here's Connie. Connie Tan: We conducted sensemaking sessions with our PI advisory council members, and what we learned is that anti PI hate must be understood [00:27:00] within a broader historical context rooted in colonialism. Militarization nuclear testing and forced displacement, and that these structural violence continue to shape PI people's daily lives. And so some key examples include the US overthrow and occupation of Hawaii in the 18 hundreds that led to the loss of Hawaiian sovereignty and cultural suppression. In the 1940s, the US conducted almost 70 nuclear tests across the Marshall Islands that decimated the environment and subjected residents to long-term health problems and forced relocation to gain military dominance. The US established a compacts of free association in the 1980s that created a complex and inequitable framework of immigration status that left many PI communities with limited access to federal benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a disproportionate health impacts in PI communities due to the historical lack of disaggregated data, unequal access to health benefits, [00:28:00] and a lack of culturally responsive care. And most recently, there are proposed or already enacted US travel bans targeting different Pacific Island nations, continuing a legacy of exclusion. So when we speak of violence harm. Injustice related to anti P hate. It must be understood within this larger context. Miata Tan: That was Connie Tan at Stop. A API hate. Now let's get back to the Pacific Islander Advisory Council who are helping us to better understand the findings from the recent report from Stop. A API hate focused on hate acts against the Pacific Islander communities. I will pass the reins over to Stephanie Chan. Stephanie's the director of Data and Research at Stop A API Hate who led this recent conversation with the PI Advisory Council. Here's Stephanie. [00:29:00]  Stephanie Chan: The big mental health challenges as well as the issues of acceptance and belonging and like what that all means. I, I think a lot of you spoke to this but let's get deeper. What are some of the historical or cultural factors that shape how PI communities experience racism or hate today? Let's start with Estella. Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha-Church: Thank you for the question, Stephanie. A piece of data that, stood out to me, it was around the six outta 10 won't report to formal authority agencies. And earlier it was mentioned that there's a need For strategies outside policing. I think that, to everything that, Jamaica's already stated and, and what's been presented in the, the data why would we report, when the state itself has been harmful to us collectively. The other thing I can speak to in my experience is again, I'll, I'll say that an approach of intersectionality is, is a must because says this too in the report, more than [00:30:00] 57% of our communities identify as multiracial, multi-ethnic. And so in addition to. Who we are as Pacific Islander, right? Like many of us are also half Indigenous, half black, half Mexican, et cetera. List goes on. And there's, there needs to be enough space for all of us, for the whole of us to be present in our communities and to, to do the work, whatever the work may be, whatever sector you're in, whether health or education. Policy or in data. And intersectional approach is absolutely necessary to capture who we are as a whole. And the other, something else that was mentioned in the report was around misinformation and that being something that needs to be combated in particular today. Um, and I see this across several communities. The, AI videos are, are a bit outta control. Sort of silly, but still kind of serious. Example comes to mind, recent a very extensive conversation. I didn't feel like having, uh, with, [00:31:00] with my uncles around whether or not Tupac is alive because AI videos Are doing a whole lot that they shouldn't be doing. And it's, it's a goofy example, but an example nonetheless, many of our elders are using social media or on different platforms and the misinformation and disinformation is so loud, it's difficult to continue to do our work. And educate, or in some cases reeducate. And make sure that, the needs of our community that is highlighted in this report are being adjusted. Stephanie Chan: Thank you. Yeah. And a whole new set of challenges with the technology we have today. Uh, Michelle, do you wanna speak to the historical and cultural factors that have shaped how PI communities experience racism today?  Michelle Pedro: Our experience is, it's inseparable to the US nuclear legacy and just everything that Estella was saying, a standard outside of policing. Like why is the only solution incarceration or most of the solutions involve [00:32:00] incarceration. You know, if there's other means of taking care of somebody we really need to get to the root causes, right? Instead of incarceration. And I feel like a lot of people use us, but not protect us. And the experiences that my people feel they're going through now is, it's just as similar than when we were going through it during COVID. I. Here in Arkansas. More than half of people that, uh, the death rates were Marshallese. And most of those people were my relatives. And so going to these funerals, I was just like, okay, how do I, how do I go to each funeral without, you know, if I get in contact to COVID with COVID without spreading that? And, you know, I think we've been conditioned for so long to feel ashamed, to feel less than. I feel like a lot of our, our folks are coming out of that and feeling like they can breathe again. But with the [00:33:00] recent administration and ice, it's like, okay, now we have to step back into our shell. And we're outsiders again, thankfully here in, uh, Northwest Arkansas, I think there's a lot of people who. have empathy towards the Marshallese community and Pacific Islanders here. And they feel like we can, we feel like we can rely on our neighbors. Somebody's death and, or a group of people's deaths shouldn't, be a reason why we, we come together. It should be a reason for, wanting to just be kind to each other. And like Estella said, we need to educate but also move past talks and actually going forward with policy changes and stuff like that. Stephanie Chan: Thank you Michelle. And yes, we'll get to the policy changes in a second. I would love to hear. What all of our panelists think about what steps we need to take. Uh, Isa I'm gonna turn it over to you to talk about historical or cultural factors that shape how PI communities experience racism today.  Isa Kelawili Whalen: [00:34:00] Many, if not all, Pacific Islander families or communities that I know of or I'm a part of, we don't wanna get in trouble. And what does that really mean? We don't wanna be incarcerated by racially biased jurisdictions. Um, we don't wanna be deported. We don't want to be revoked of our citizenship for our rights or evicted or fired. All things that we deem at risk at all times. It's always on the table whenever we engage with the American government. Even down to something as simple as filling out a census form. And so I think it's important to know also that at the core of many of our Pacifica cultures, strengthening future generations is at the center. Every single time. I mean, with everything that our elders have carried, have fought for, have sacrificed for, to bring us to where we are today. It's almost like if someone calls you a name or they give you a dirty look, or maybe even if they get physical with you on a sidewalk. Those are things we just swallow. ‘ cause you have to, there's so much on the table so much at risk that we cannot afford to lose. [00:35:00] And unfortunately, majority of the times it's at the cost of yourself. It is. That mistrust with everything that's at risk with keeping ourselves, our families, and future generations. To continue being a part of this American society, it makes it really, really hard for us to navigate racism and hate in comparison to, I would say, other ethnic groups. Stephanie Chan: Definitely. And the mistrust in the government is not gonna get better in this context. It's only gonna get worse. Jamaica, do you wanna speak to the question of the historical and cultural factors that shape how PI communities experience racism? Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: Absolutely. You know, without risking sounding like a broken record, I think one of the most meaningful things that many of us share across the Pacific is the violence of us. Uh, not just us, but in imperial militarization and nuclear testing. and I think it's easy for folks. Outside of the Pacific to forget that that's actually ongoing, right? That there are military occupations ongoing in Hawaii, in [00:36:00] Guam, in Okinawa, uh, that our people are being extracted out of their communities to serve in the US military in particular, out of Samoa, the highest per capita rate of folks being enlisted into the US on forces, which is insane. Um, so I don't want that to go unnamed as something that is both historical. And ongoing and related to the kind of global US imperial violence that is taking place today that the Pacific is is this. Point of departure for so much of that ongoing imperial violence, which implicates us, our lands, our waters, and our peoples, and that as well. And that's something that we have to reckon with within the overall context of, experiencing hate in and around the so-called United States. But I also wanna touch on, The issue of intersectionality around, um, experiencing hate in the PI community and, and in particular thinking about anti-blackness, both the PI community and towards the PI community. Uh, [00:37:00] and I Understanding the history of the way white supremacy has both been inflicted upon our people and in many cases internalized within our people. And how anti-blackness in particular has been used as a weapon from within our communities to each other while also experiencing it from the outside. Is something that is deeply, deeply impacting our people. I'm thinking both the, the personal, immediate experience of folks experiencing or practicing anti-blackness in our community. But I'm also thinking about the fact that we have many examples of our own organizations and institutions Reinforcing anti-blackness, uh, being unwilling to look at the way that anti-blackness has been reinterpreted through our own cultural practices to seem natural. I'll speak for myself. I've, I've seen this on a personal level coming out of our communities and coming into our communities. I've seen this on a structural level. you know, we saw the stat in the report that there's a high percentage of PIs who believe that cross racial solidarity is [00:38:00] important, and there's a high percentage of PIs who are saying that they want to be involved and are being involved in trying to make a difference, uh, against racial injustice in this godforsaken. Country,  Um, that work will never be effective if we cannot as a community really take on this issue of anti-blackness and how intimately it has seeped into some of our most basic assumptions about what it means to be Hawaiian, about what it means to be Polynesian, about what it means to be, any of these other, uh, discreet identities. We hold as a part of the Pacific. Miata Tan: That was Dr. Jamaica Osorio, an Associate Professor of Indigenous and Native Hawaiian politics and a member of the Stop A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council. Dr. Jamaica was reflecting on the new report from Stop. A API Hate that focuses on instances of hate against Pacific Islander [00:39:00] communities. We'll hear more from the PI Advisory Council in a moment. Stay with us. ​ [00:40:00] [00:41:00] [00:42:00] [00:43:00] That was Tonda by Diskarte Namin . You are tuned into Apex Express on 94.1 KPFA, a weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I am your host Miata Tan, and tonight we're centering our Pacific Islander communities. Stop. A API Hate is a national coalition that tracks and responds to anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate. Their latest report found that nearly half of Pacific Islander [00:44:00] adults experienced an act of hate in 2024 because of their race, ethnicity, or nationality. Connie Tan is a research manager at Stop, A API Hate who led the charge on this new report. Here she is sharing some community recommendations on how we can all help to reduce instances of harm and hate against Pacific Islander communities. Connie Tan: So to support those impacted by hate, we've outlined a set of community recommendations for what community members can do if they experience hate, and to take collective action against anti P. Hate first. Speak up and report hate acts. Reporting is one of the most powerful tools we have to ensure harms against PI. Communities are addressed and taken seriously. You can take action by reporting to trusted platforms like our Stop API Hate Reporting Center, which is available in 21 languages, including Tongan, Samoan, and Marshall. [00:45:00] Second, prioritize your mental health and take care of your wellbeing. We encourage community members to raise awareness by having open conversations with loved ones, family members, and elders about self-care and mental wellness, and to seek services in culturally aligned and trusted spaces. Third, combat misinformation in the fight against. It is important to share accurate and credible information and to combat anti PI rhetoric. You can view our media literacy page to learn more. Fourth, know your rights and stay informed During this challenging climate, it is important to stay up to date and know your rights. There are various organizations offering Know your rights materials, including in Pacific Islander languages, and finally participate in civic engagement and advocacy. Civic engagement is one of the most effective ways to combat hate, whether it is participating in voting or amplifying advocacy efforts. Miata Tan: That [00:46:00] was Connie Tan, a research manager at Stop. A API Hate. As Connie shared, there's a lot that can be done to support Pacific Islander communities from taking collective action against hate through reporting and combating misinformation to participating in civic engagement and advocacy. I'll pass the reins back over to Stephanie Chen, the director of Data and Research at Stop A API Hate. Stephanie is speaking with the Stop, A API hate Pacific Islander Advisory Council, zeroing in on where we can go from here in addressing hate against Pacific Islander communities. Stephanie Chan: We've heard a lot, a lot about the pain of anti PI hate, we've heard a lot about the pain of just, ongoing militarization displacement government distrust problems with education. Anti-blackness. what three things would you name as things that [00:47:00] we need to do? What changes actions or policies we need to do to move forward, on these issues? And I'm gonna start with Isa.  Isa Kelawili Whalen: Thank you Stephanie. Um, I'll try and go quickly here, but three policy areas. I'd love to get everyone engaged. One, data disaggregation. Pacific Islanders were constantly told that we don't have the data, so how could we possibly know what you guys are experiencing or need, and then. When we do have the data, it's always, oh, but you don't have enough numbers to meet this threshold, to get those benefits. Data informs policy, policy informs data. Again, thank you. Stop. I hate for having us here to talk about that also, but definitely continue fighting for data disaggregation. Second thing I would say. Climate resiliency, uh, supporting it and saying no to deep sea mining in our Pacifica waters. History of violence again with our land and sea. There's been a number in the, in the chat and one to name the nuclear warfare and bikini at toll, where after wiping out the people, the culture, the island itself, the United States promised reparations and to never harm again in that [00:48:00] way, but. Here we are. And then third language access, quite literally access, just access, um, to all things that the average English speaking person or learner has. So I'd say those three.  Stephanie Chan: Thank you. Well, we'll move on to Jamaica. Uh, what do you think are the actions or policies that we need?  Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: Uh, we need to demilitarize the Pacific. We need to shut down military bases. We need to not renew military leases. We need to not allow the US government to condemn lands, to expand their military footprint in the Pacific. I think one of the points that came up time and time again around not reporting is again, not feeling like anything's gonna happen, but two, who are we reporting to and we're reporting to states and systems that have contained us, that have violated us and that have hurt us. So yeah, demilitarization, abolition in the broadest sense, both thinking about Discreet carceral institutions, but then also the entire US governing system. And three I'll just make it a little smaller, like fuck ice, and tear that shit [00:49:00] down. Like right now, there are policy change issues related to ICE and carceral institutions, but I'm really thinking about kind of. Incredible mobilization that's taking place in particular in, in Minneapolis and the way people are showing up for their neighbors across racial, gender, and political spectrums. And so outside of this discrete policy changes that we need to fight for, we need more people in the streets showing up to protect each other. and in doing so, building the systems and the, the communities and the institutions that we will need to arrive in a new world. Stephanie Chan: Great word, Michelle.  Michelle Pedro: I'm just gonna add on to what, Isa said about language, access justice, equity, also protection of access to healthcare. in terms of what Ika said yes. Three West, Papua New Guinea, yeah, thank you for having me here. Stephanie Chan: Thank you. And Ella, you wanna bring us home on the policy question?  Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha-Church: I'm from South Central LA Ice melts around here. yes to everything that has been said, in [00:50:00] particular, I think the greatest policy issue. Impact in our folks is demil, demilitarization. And that also goes to the active genocide that is happening in the Pacific and has been ongoing. And as a broader API community, it's a conversation we don't ever have and have not had uh, regularly. So yes to all that. And risk, it sounded like a broken record too. I think, uh, education is a huge. Part of the issue here, I think access to real liberated ethnic studies for all of our folks is absolutely crucial to continuing generation after generation, being able to continue the demil fight to continue. To show up for our folks for our islands in diaspora and back home on our islands. You know, the, the report said that, uh, we are 1.6 million strong here in the United States and that our populations continue to grow, fortunately, unfortunately here in the us. And that [00:51:00] we are a multi-ethnic, um, group of folks and that, That demands, it's an imperative that our approach to education, to political education, to how we show up for community, how we organize across faith-based communities has to be intersectional. It has to be it has to be pro-black. It has to be pro Indigenous because that is who we are as a people. We are black. And Indigenous populations all wrapped up into one. And any way we approach policy change has to come from a pro-black, pro Indigenous stance.  Stephanie Chan: Thank you, Estella. We did have a question about education and how we actually make. PI studies happen. do you have anything you wanna elaborate on, how do we get school districts and state governments to prioritize PI history, especially K through 12?  Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha-Church: I'm gonna say with the caveat of under this current regime. Any regular tactics I'm used to employing may not be viable at this current [00:52:00] moment. But my regular go-to will always be to tell parents you have the most power in school districts to show up at your local school board meetings and demand that there is liberated ethnic studies and be conscious and cognizant about the, the big ed tech companies that districts are hiring to bring. Some fake, uh, ethnic studies. It's not real ethnic studies. And there are also quite a few ethnic studies or programs that are out there parading as ethnic studies that are 100% coming from the alt-right. 100% coming from Zionist based organizations That are not, doing ethnic studies actually doing a disservice to ethnic studies. And the other thing I'll say for API organizations that are doing the work around ethnic studies and, and pushing for Asian American studies legislation state by state. We're also doing a disservice because in many situations or many cases where legislation has passed for Asian American studies, it's been at the [00:53:00] detriment of black, brown, queer, and Indigenous communities. And that's not the spirit of ethnic studies. And so first I'd say for parents. Exercise your right as a parent in your local district and be as loud as you possibly can be, and organize parent pods that are gonna do the fight for you, and then reach out to folks. My number one recommendation is always liberated ethnic studies model consortium curriculum, for a group of badass educators who were, who are gonna show up for community whenever called. Miata Tan: That was Tu‘ulau‘ulu Estella Owoimaha- Church discussing how we can help to encourage school districts and state governments to prioritize Pacific Islander education. A big thank you to the Stop, A API Hate team and their Pacific Islander Advisory Council. Your work is vital and we appreciate you all. Thank you for speaking with us [00:54:00] today.  Miata Tan: [00:55:00] That final track was a little snippet from the fantastic Zhou Tian check out Hidden Grace. It's a truly fabulous song. This is Apex Express on 94.1 KPFA, A weekly radio show uplifting the voices and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Apex Express Airs every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM And with that, we're unfortunately nearing the end of our time here tonight. thank you so much for tuning into the show. And another big thank you to the Stop, A API Hate Team and their Pacific Islander Advisory Council. We appreciate your work so much. One final note, if you are listening to this live, then it's February 12th, meaning Lunar New Year is [00:56:00] just around the corner. For listeners who might not be familiar, Lunar New Year is a major celebration for many in the Asian diaspora, a fresh start marked by family, food, and festivities. This year we are welcoming in the Year of the Horse, and you can join the celebrations too. On Saturday, March 7th, San Francisco will come alive with the year of the horse parade, and this weekend you can check out the Chinatown Flower Market Fair Head to Grant Avenue for fresh flowers, arts activities, and cultural performances. On Tuesday, February 24th, the San Francisco Public Library will Drumbeats, Heartbeats: Community as One . this event will honor Lunar New Year and Black History Month with Lion Dancers, poetry, and more. Across the bay, Oakland celebrates their Lunar New Year parade on Saturday, February 28th. From more [00:57:00] parades to night markets and museum events, celebrations will be happening all over the Bay Area and beyond. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to gather, reflect, and welcome in the new year with joy. For show notes, please visit our website. That's kpfa.org/program/apex-express. On the webpage for this episode, we've added links to the Stop, A API Hate Report on Anti Pacific Islander, hate from data on how hate is impacting PI communities to information on what you can do to help. This report is well worth the read. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preeti Mangala Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me , Miata Tan. Get some rest y'all. .  The post APEX Express – 2.12.26 – Anti-Pacific Islander Hate Amid Ongoing Injustice appeared first on KPFA.

Links: Steve's website “The Last Navigator: A Young Man, and Ancient Mariner, the Secrets of the Sea” The Last Navigator documentarySteve's lecture at the US Naval Academy

Cleo Paskal and Bill Roggio examine the PRC threat to Oceania from Guam's perspective. The segment details China's aggressive influence peddling and buying throughout the Pacific islands, as Beijing systematically works to undermine American strategic positioning and cultivate dependent relationships across the region.1870 HAWAII

In this episode, hosts Chris and Courtney talk with Dr. Seth Quintus about his work in Sāmoa and Hawaiʻi, blending Polynesian archaeology, ethnohistory, and social theory. They discuss the value of four-field anthropology and collaboration, variation across Polynesian histories and ideologies, and common misconceptions about ancient Hawaiian political systems. Dr. Seth Quintus is a Pacific Island archaeologist and anthropology professor at the University of Hawai‘i. Coming from a long family line of teachers, Seth has carried that passion for learning and mentorship into his own career. He joined UH in 2016 and has built an impressive body of research exploring how people and environments have shaped one another across the Pacific. Originally from the Midwest, Seth has worked throughout the continental United States, including Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota, as well as in Sāmoa, Hawai‘i, Tokelau, and New Zealand. Although his specialty is archaeology, he approaches his work as a broadly trained anthropologist who values integrating multiple subfields to better understand human history and cultural change. His research focuses on long-term human–environment relationships, using spatial, ecological, and geomorphological methods to study settlement systems and agriculture. He's particularly interested in how food production and environmental modification intersect with social and political change. Seth is also known for his commitment to teaching and community engagement. He partners with Kamehameha Schools, the National Park Service, and the National University of Sāmoa to involve students and community members in field research. In 2024, he received the College of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching. He earned his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Auckland, and his master's and bachelor's degrees from North Dakota State University, where he graduated magna cum laude. ------------------------------ Find the papers discussed in this episode: Quintus, S., Cochrane, E. E., Laumea, M., & Filimoehala, C. (2025). Assessing settlement diversity in Sāmoa. Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564894.2025.2509519 ------------------------------ Contact Dr. Quintus: SQuintus@hawaii.edu ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and the Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Co-Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Courtney Manthey, Co-Host Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli Mecca Howe, SoS Producer, HBA Fellow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mecca-howe/, Email: howemecca@gmail.com

The idea of self-determination is one of the most significant in modern international politics. For more than a century diplomats, lawyers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people in every part of the globe have wrestled with its meaning and implications for decolonization, human rights, sovereignty, and international order. The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941-2000 (Oxford UP, 2025) argues that there was no one self-determination, but a century-long contest between contending visions of sovereignty and rights that were as varied and changing as the nature of sovereignty itself. In this globe-spanning narrative, Simpson argues that self-determination's meaning has often emerged not just from the United Nations but from the claims of movements and peoples on the margins of international society. Powerful states, he shows, persistently rejected expansive self-determination claims, arguing that these threatened great power conflict, the dissolution of international order, or the unravelling of the world economy. Pacific Island territories, indigenous peoples, regional and secessionist movements, and transnational solidarity groups, among others, rejected the efforts of large, powerful states to define self-determination along narrow lines. Instead, international historian Bradley R. Simpson shows they offered expansive visions of economic, political, and cultural sovereignty ranging far beyond the movement for decolonization with which they are often associated. As they did so, these movements and groups helped to vernacularize self-determination as a language of social justice and rights for people around the world. An ambitious work of global breadth on a key geopolitical issue, The First Right transforms how we think about the making of the twentieth century world order and the place of the global South and decolonization in it. Dr. Bradley R. Simpson is Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Samee Siddiqui is Assistant Professor of World History at Drury University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The idea of self-determination is one of the most significant in modern international politics. For more than a century diplomats, lawyers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people in every part of the globe have wrestled with its meaning and implications for decolonization, human rights, sovereignty, and international order. The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941-2000 (Oxford UP, 2025) argues that there was no one self-determination, but a century-long contest between contending visions of sovereignty and rights that were as varied and changing as the nature of sovereignty itself. In this globe-spanning narrative, Simpson argues that self-determination's meaning has often emerged not just from the United Nations but from the claims of movements and peoples on the margins of international society. Powerful states, he shows, persistently rejected expansive self-determination claims, arguing that these threatened great power conflict, the dissolution of international order, or the unravelling of the world economy. Pacific Island territories, indigenous peoples, regional and secessionist movements, and transnational solidarity groups, among others, rejected the efforts of large, powerful states to define self-determination along narrow lines. Instead, international historian Bradley R. Simpson shows they offered expansive visions of economic, political, and cultural sovereignty ranging far beyond the movement for decolonization with which they are often associated. As they did so, these movements and groups helped to vernacularize self-determination as a language of social justice and rights for people around the world. An ambitious work of global breadth on a key geopolitical issue, The First Right transforms how we think about the making of the twentieth century world order and the place of the global South and decolonization in it. Dr. Bradley R. Simpson is Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Samee Siddiqui is Assistant Professor of World History at Drury University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The idea of self-determination is one of the most significant in modern international politics. For more than a century diplomats, lawyers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people in every part of the globe have wrestled with its meaning and implications for decolonization, human rights, sovereignty, and international order. The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941-2000 (Oxford UP, 2025) argues that there was no one self-determination, but a century-long contest between contending visions of sovereignty and rights that were as varied and changing as the nature of sovereignty itself. In this globe-spanning narrative, Simpson argues that self-determination's meaning has often emerged not just from the United Nations but from the claims of movements and peoples on the margins of international society. Powerful states, he shows, persistently rejected expansive self-determination claims, arguing that these threatened great power conflict, the dissolution of international order, or the unravelling of the world economy. Pacific Island territories, indigenous peoples, regional and secessionist movements, and transnational solidarity groups, among others, rejected the efforts of large, powerful states to define self-determination along narrow lines. Instead, international historian Bradley R. Simpson shows they offered expansive visions of economic, political, and cultural sovereignty ranging far beyond the movement for decolonization with which they are often associated. As they did so, these movements and groups helped to vernacularize self-determination as a language of social justice and rights for people around the world. An ambitious work of global breadth on a key geopolitical issue, The First Right transforms how we think about the making of the twentieth century world order and the place of the global South and decolonization in it. Dr. Bradley R. Simpson is Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Samee Siddiqui is Assistant Professor of World History at Drury University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

The idea of self-determination is one of the most significant in modern international politics. For more than a century diplomats, lawyers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people in every part of the globe have wrestled with its meaning and implications for decolonization, human rights, sovereignty, and international order. The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941-2000 (Oxford UP, 2025) argues that there was no one self-determination, but a century-long contest between contending visions of sovereignty and rights that were as varied and changing as the nature of sovereignty itself. In this globe-spanning narrative, Simpson argues that self-determination's meaning has often emerged not just from the United Nations but from the claims of movements and peoples on the margins of international society. Powerful states, he shows, persistently rejected expansive self-determination claims, arguing that these threatened great power conflict, the dissolution of international order, or the unravelling of the world economy. Pacific Island territories, indigenous peoples, regional and secessionist movements, and transnational solidarity groups, among others, rejected the efforts of large, powerful states to define self-determination along narrow lines. Instead, international historian Bradley R. Simpson shows they offered expansive visions of economic, political, and cultural sovereignty ranging far beyond the movement for decolonization with which they are often associated. As they did so, these movements and groups helped to vernacularize self-determination as a language of social justice and rights for people around the world. An ambitious work of global breadth on a key geopolitical issue, The First Right transforms how we think about the making of the twentieth century world order and the place of the global South and decolonization in it. Dr. Bradley R. Simpson is Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Samee Siddiqui is Assistant Professor of World History at Drury University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

The idea of self-determination is one of the most significant in modern international politics. For more than a century diplomats, lawyers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people in every part of the globe have wrestled with its meaning and implications for decolonization, human rights, sovereignty, and international order. The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941-2000 (Oxford UP, 2025) argues that there was no one self-determination, but a century-long contest between contending visions of sovereignty and rights that were as varied and changing as the nature of sovereignty itself. In this globe-spanning narrative, Simpson argues that self-determination's meaning has often emerged not just from the United Nations but from the claims of movements and peoples on the margins of international society. Powerful states, he shows, persistently rejected expansive self-determination claims, arguing that these threatened great power conflict, the dissolution of international order, or the unravelling of the world economy. Pacific Island territories, indigenous peoples, regional and secessionist movements, and transnational solidarity groups, among others, rejected the efforts of large, powerful states to define self-determination along narrow lines. Instead, international historian Bradley R. Simpson shows they offered expansive visions of economic, political, and cultural sovereignty ranging far beyond the movement for decolonization with which they are often associated. As they did so, these movements and groups helped to vernacularize self-determination as a language of social justice and rights for people around the world. An ambitious work of global breadth on a key geopolitical issue, The First Right transforms how we think about the making of the twentieth century world order and the place of the global South and decolonization in it. Dr. Bradley R. Simpson is Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Samee Siddiqui is Assistant Professor of World History at Drury University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

The idea of self-determination is one of the most significant in modern international politics. For more than a century diplomats, lawyers, scholars, activists, and ordinary people in every part of the globe have wrestled with its meaning and implications for decolonization, human rights, sovereignty, and international order. The First Right: Self-Determination and the Transformation of International Order, 1941-2000 (Oxford UP, 2025) argues that there was no one self-determination, but a century-long contest between contending visions of sovereignty and rights that were as varied and changing as the nature of sovereignty itself. In this globe-spanning narrative, Simpson argues that self-determination's meaning has often emerged not just from the United Nations but from the claims of movements and peoples on the margins of international society. Powerful states, he shows, persistently rejected expansive self-determination claims, arguing that these threatened great power conflict, the dissolution of international order, or the unravelling of the world economy. Pacific Island territories, indigenous peoples, regional and secessionist movements, and transnational solidarity groups, among others, rejected the efforts of large, powerful states to define self-determination along narrow lines. Instead, international historian Bradley R. Simpson shows they offered expansive visions of economic, political, and cultural sovereignty ranging far beyond the movement for decolonization with which they are often associated. As they did so, these movements and groups helped to vernacularize self-determination as a language of social justice and rights for people around the world. An ambitious work of global breadth on a key geopolitical issue, The First Right transforms how we think about the making of the twentieth century world order and the place of the global South and decolonization in it. Dr. Bradley R. Simpson is Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Samee Siddiqui is Assistant Professor of World History at Drury University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

SEGMENT 9: OCEANIA DEFENSE AND CHINA THREAT Guest: Cleo Paskal Paskal reports from the Honolulu defense forum on Pacific island security concerns. Discussion examines China's aggressive expansion into Oceania through infrastructure deals and political influence, the strategic importance of these island nations, and American efforts to counter Beijing's growing presence across the vast Pacific region.1944 SAIPAN

Contemporary artist Jumana Emil Abboud respirits water sources from Palestine to Wales, drawing on folklore, oral storytelling, and memories of dispossession and resistance, in her ongoing series of collaborative workshops and performances, The Water Diviners (2020-).Jumana Emil Abboud's exhibition is at Mostyn in Llandudno until 22 February 2026.Artes Mundi 11 continues at venues across Wales until 1 March 2026, with the winner announced at the National Museum Cardiff on 15 January 2026.For more from Mostyn, hear artist ⁠Taloi Havini⁠, winner of Artes Mundi 10, on the connections between extractive industries in the Pacific Islands and Wales. and their work documenting the environmental damage caused by colonial, and patriarchal, relations with land, in Habitat (2017): pod.link/1533637675/episode/e30bd079e3b389a1d7e68f5e2937a797And contemporary and performance artist ⁠Paul Maheke⁠, as he moves between France, Congo, and Canada, and explores the ‘archive of their body' through drawing and dance, in Taboo Durag (2021): ⁠pod.link/1533637675/episode/56020e3b6ddd4b59c15296540a140bd1 ⁠Read into Alia Farid's embroidered tapestry series Elsewhere (2023), at Chisenhale in London, and the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Oslo, in recessed.space: recessed.space/00232-Alia-Farid-at-Henie-Onstad-KunstsenterFor more from curator Rachel Dedman, listen to the episode about an UNRWA Dress from Ramallah, Palestine (1930s)⁠: pod.link/1533637675/episode/92c34d07be80fe43a8e328705a7d80cbAnd read into the exhibition, Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery, at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge and the Whitworth in Manchester, in gowithYamo: gowithyamo.com/blog/textiles-in-cambridge-palestinian-embroidery-at-kettles-yardFor more from Siren Songs: Water as told by Artists at the Villa Medici in Rome (2025), read about Yannis Maniatakos and Zeljko Kujundzic, in gowithYamo: gowithyamo.com/blog/men-at-sea-yannis-maniatakos-and-zeljko-kujundzicAnd on water as archive, history, and method, listen to curator Eleanor Nairne on Julianknxx's Chorus in Rememory of Flight (2023) at the Barbican, and Professor Paul Gilroy, on The Black Atlantic (1993-Now) in Plymouth.PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic.Follow EMPIRE LINES on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/empirelinespodcast⁠⁠⁠Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/empirelines

In this powerful episode of Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T., Linda Mitchell sits down with Charles and Heidi Hatley, the couple behind Kava & Kettlebells, to challenge one of the most normalized beliefs in modern wellness: that alcohol is the best way to relax, unwind, or cope with stress. Charles and Heidi share how their journey through fitness, parenthood, trauma, and healing led them to explore alternatives to alcohol—specifically kava, a traditional plant-based drink long used in Pacific Island cultures. What began as a personal experiment quickly became a lifestyle shift rooted in nervous system regulation, recovery, and intentional living. Charles opens up about how his background in aviation and the Air Force exposed him to a deeply ingrained drinking culture, and how alcohol quietly undermined his fitness, recovery, sleep, and overall health. Heidi shares her own deeply personal story of surviving a near-fatal car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, and how movement, nutrition, faith, and consistency played a critical role in her recovery. Together, they discuss how kava works differently than alcohol or marijuana, why it supports calm without impairing awareness, and how it has helped them stay present—as parents, partners, and individuals—without numbing out. The conversation also explores the importance of sleep, cortisol regulation, screen boundaries, circadian rhythm, and creating intentional family routines in a world driven by constant stimulation. This episode is an honest, grounded conversation about healing the nervous system, redefining relaxation, and modeling strength, faith, and calm in everyday life. It's not about extremes or perfection—it's about creating an environment where the body and brain can actually recover. Whether you're sober-curious, burned out, navigating recovery, or simply questioning what real wellness looks like, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on choosing clarity, connection, and strength over numbing. Topics discussed in this episode: • Why alcohol quietly sabotages fitness, recovery, and brain health • What kava is, how it works, and how it differs from alcohol and marijuana • Nervous system regulation and why it's missing from most wellness conversations • Healing after traumatic brain injury through movement, nutrition, and sleep • Cortisol, sleep quality, and intentional evening routines • Parenting without numbing in a high-stimulation culture • Morning workouts, circadian rhythm, and daily structure • Faith, resilience, and building a grounded family life About Charles and Heidi Hatley: Charles and Heidi Hatley are the voices behind Kava & Kettlebells, a platform and podcast focused on strength training, alcohol-free living, nervous system health, and intentional recovery. They are parents, fitness enthusiasts, and advocates for living fully present—without sacrificing clarity, connection, or purpose. Listen, learn more, and connect: Kava & Kettlebells https://kavaandkettlebells.net Kava & Kettlebells Podcast https://kavaandkettlebells.net/podcast One-sheet and episode reference https://drive.google.com/file/d/12gV0nIl0Uu9Fps34sy0VnYPy3E0dvlFe/view?usp=drivesdk

2026 celebrations begin in New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands! Stateside, it's the last day of headlines in 2025: Warner Brothers Discovery  may reject Paramount's latest bid for its spinoff assets, Warren Buffett is serving his last day as Berkshire Hathaway CEO, and Courtney Reagan and former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon discuss the year's winners and losers in retail as the holiday season winds down. Plus, Khan Academy CEO and founder Sal Khan warns of a looming jobs apocalypse, driven by AI automation. Happy New Year! Sal Khan - 19:51Courtney Reagan - 31:15Bill Simon - 34:49 In this episode:Becky Quick, @BeckyQuickJoe Kernen, @JoeSquawkCourtney Reagan, @CourtReaganKatie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We just bumped up our podcast library overnight!  Today's episode is a summary, about the 11 location-specific episodes we added into the My Life As A Landlord Library, which are LIVE NOW.  The summary today features Minnesota, Prince Edward Island, Washington DC, South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Colorado, Yukon Territory, New Jersey, Queensland, Australia the Pacific Islands, a US Territory, which includes American Samoa, Guam and Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).For each of these locations, there is an entire podcast dedicated to each State or Province.  In each one we explore the overview of the housing guiding document for each location, answering the same four questions:  1) What are the basics of the State or Province or Territories' Tenancy or Housing Document2) What are the nuances of this location – what is different that stands out?3) Some guidance about abandoned items left behind by a tenant in a rental in each State or Province4) Where to get help in your local area in that State or Province.  Today's episode is NOT all inclusive for any of these locations, mind you – you must research further in your specific area including your County, Regional District, Parish, City or any other Governing Body that involves your rental location, but today's summary episode will get you started!

Today's location-specific episode features Pacific Islands, a US Territory that includes American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).  Each of my location-specific podcasts is set up the same way answering the same four questions:  1) What are the basics of the in this location2) What are the nuances of this location – what is different that stands out?3) Some guidance about abandoned items left behind by a tenant in a rental inPacific Islands, a US Territory4) Where to get help in your local area in Pacific Islands, a US Territory.  Then I'll go through what I call my “Bingo Card” of standard items I see most often in tenancy laws in different locations.  This episode is NOT all inclusive – you must research further in your specific area including your County, Regional District, Parish, City or any other Governing Body that involves your rental location, but today's episode will get you started!This episode includes resources for Pacific Islands, a US Territory including:CNMI Landlord and Tenant Rental Act of 2017Marianas Office - Micronesian Legal Services CorporationU.S. Affiliated Pacific Basin Jurisdictions: Legal, Geographic and Demographic InformationU.S. Territories: Guam and Other Pacific Islands Profile - SIECUSHome - American Samoa Bar AssociationSecretary of American SamoaAmerican Samoa Legal Aid: Justice for All

AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE AND CHINA Colleague Grant Newsham. Grant Newsham warns about Australia's lack of defense capabilities and the erosion of its influence in the Pacific islands due to Chinese political warfare. NUMBER 6 1894 PERTH

Every Monday and Friday for the rest of December we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we've chosen it. From September: with sea levels rising, much of the nation's population is confronting the prospect that their home may soon cease to exist. Where are they going to go? By Atul Dev. Read by Mikhail Sen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Hawaii Matters, Hana Hou is a listen back with excerpts featuring past guests and this episode includes:Molly Schmidt, CEO of the American Red Cross, Pacific Islands Region, recognizes the works of volunteerism on a grassroots level and how it can inform an individual to do more for their community. She shares the need for everyday people to brush up on their CPR certification, take a babysitting course, and visit the Hawaii Red Cross website to discover what you excel at to be of service in your neighborhood, starting at home. Molly Schmidt speaks on the history and a few significant public figures of Hawaii Red Cross, and shares her personal experiences when working with other agencies during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2023 Maui Wildland Fires. Kathy With a K is your host. (original air date: September 28, 2025) "Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations: ⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: kathywithak@1059thewavefm.com

In this essential episode, Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome two returning guests and leading strategic thinkers: retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan, author of “The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire,” and Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and co-host of the Net Assessment Podcast. Together, they dissect the Trump administration's newly released National Security Strategy and its implications for U.S. alliances, Indo-Pacific security, and the evolving competition with China.​NSS Unveiled: Zack explains what the National Security Strategy (NSS) is - the connective tissue linking U.S. objectives to the ways and means of achieving them - while noting the internal contradictions and lack of central logic. Released with minimal fanfare in early December, this NSS marks a significant departure from conventional approaches to American global engagement.​Regional Winners and Losers: Mick offers his characteristically candid, “she'll be right, mate” assessment, arguing that while Europe faces a much more civilizational challenge under this strategy, Indo-Pacific allies like Australia, Japan, and Taiwan emerge relatively intact. The document maintains U.S. commitment to the defense of the first island chain, though the beleaguered Philippines notably goes unmentioned.​Spheres of Influence and Inconsistencies: The experts dissect the document's troubling embrace of spheres of influence - asserting U.S. primacy in the Americas while condemning Chinese ambitions in Asia. This contradiction, combined with transactional mercantilism replacing values-based alliances, signals a fundamental shift in American grand strategy.​The China Challenge: Both guests critique how the NSS reduces all of Asia to a China problem, ignoring critical issues in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. They explore China's aggressive response to Japanese Prime Minister Takeuchi's Taiwan comments and what Beijing's gray zone operations reveal about testing U.S. resolve.​Deterrence and Taiwan: Zack warns that U.S. strategy focuses too narrowly on preventing a Taiwan amphibious invasion while neglecting China's political warfare strategy. Mick emphasizes that Xi Jinping views Taiwan as a political problem, not primarily a military one, and may seek a grand bargain with President Trump.​Technology and National Security: The conversation addresses the controversial decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced H200 chips to China, which both view as a significant national security mistake that undermines the technology competition goals in the NSS.Congressional Pushback: The recently released National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes provisions constraining troop withdrawals from South Korea and other guardrails, reflecting bipartisan congressional frustration with lack of Pentagon consultation.​Episode 118 provides indispensable analysis for understanding how U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy is developing under Trump 2.0, and why allies and adversaries alike are recalculating their positions in the world's most dynamic and consequential region.

Tom Robinson was a 14-year-old living in the Brisbane suburbs when he made a promise to himself to become the youngest person ever to row across the Pacific Ocean.  Nine years later Tom set off from Peru bound for Australia without a support crew and limited communication.Tom navigated by the stars, made eye contact with a shark and rowed up to 15 hours a day when strong currents pushed him off course.And when his adventure ended, it was in a completely unexpected by perfect way.Read more about Tom at his website: https://www.tomrobinsonboats.com/This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake. Executive producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores solo adventure, rowing the Pacific Ocean, boat building, remote Pacific Island communities, family, rescue, bad weather, world records, isolation, fear, survival, adventure, near death, volcanic islands, marine life, weather, storms, storms at sea, naked, rescue, teenage adventurer, and getting off your phone.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities

In this episode, we explore the fascinating history of Kanakaloka, Hawaiʻi's island-style Santa Claus, and uncover how Christmas gift-giving traditions spread across Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. From Santa arriving by outrigger canoe to church deacons acting as Father Christmas, we trace how Pacific Island cultures adapted a global holiday to fit ancient systems of reciprocity, community, and seasonal celebration.We dive deep into the Makahiki festival and the god Lono, examine why no indigenous Pacific Santa existed, and compare Hawaiian Kanakaloka with figures like Hana Kōkō in New Zealand, communal gift-giving in Samoa and Tonga, and unique Micronesian and Melanesian traditions—including parachute gift drops and cargo-era folklore.Contact:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Special thanks to:The Christmas Song/Heaven/Slow 3/4 Song by Peter Evans, Tom Blancarte, and Brandon Seabrook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CC by 3.0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Santa Claws is Coming by Ergo Phizmiz - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CC by 3.0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠holiday by Dee Yan-Key - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CC by 3.0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For the last few months, Navajo Nation leaders have been butting heads over who is its official controller – the person responsible for handling the tribe's finances. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren tried firing that top official. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, that dispute is now over. Sean McCabe has been reaffirmed as the sole lawful controller through a legally binding stipulation between him and President Nygren, which also orders Controller McCabe to receive backpay and have his attorney fees covered. Nygren recently apologized for sending profanity-laced texts leaked by McCabe to council delegates. “I used language that I shouldn't have. In moments of great stress we don't always act as our best selves. This was one such occasion for me.” The October exchange preceded his sudden termination. Screenshots show Nygren pressured McCabe to unlock his government-issued purchase card, but McCabe told him there's no budget. Nygren reiterates that his agreement with McCabe isn't a “compelled admission” of any “unlawful action” or “wrongdoing.” Quinhagak resident Patrick Jones deploys a buoy in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region in early summer 2025. (Photo: Sean Gleason) A program that helps boaters in Indigenous coastal communities use buoys to track weather conditions wrapped up another season this fall. Advocates of the Backyard Buoys program say it increased safety for fishermen in Western Alaska – and helped hunters in Alaska's Arctic land whales. The Alaska Desk’s Alena Naiden from our flagship station KNBA has more. Several years ago, seven boaters went missing in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region and were never found. The loss motivated residents to find ways to better understand their changing waterways. Nalaquq is an organization that integrates Indigenous knowledge into research in the region. The company joined a nationwide initiative, called the Backyard Buoy project, and deployed three buoys in the area for the first time this year. Lynn Marie Church is Nalaquq's chief executive officer. “We wanted to understand what was going on in our ocean … in our waterways, especially with the changes in the environment that we've seen over the past 10 years.” Backyard Buoys project helps Indigenous coastal communities in Alaska, as well as the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands, support maritime activities. Buoys track wave height, temperature, and barometric pressure in real time. Residents can see that information in an app and decide whether it is safe to travel. Church says that using the Backyard Buoys app has been easy. “When you look at where the locations are, it's not by latitude and longitude, it's by place names. That's how we learn in rural Alaska.” Sean Gleason is the head of Research and Development at Nalaquq. “We picked locations where people travel for subsistence or daily travel.” The goal was also to spread out those buoys so communities in different parts of the region can use the data. “There's no one community. Everyone's related.” In Alaska's Arctic, the project has been ramping up as well. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission facilitated the installment of buoys in six communities this year. Martin Edwardsen is the commission's coordinator for the project and is also a whaling co-captain. “I was looking at the app and seeing that the waves weren't too big in the general area where we were headed. So we went out that way and we successfully harvested a whale and brought it back to our community to feed.” The whaling commission is now looking for translators to allow users of the Backyard Buoys app see information in their Native language. Correction: In a previous newscast, we mistakenly said the Wounded Knee Massacre was observing its 130th anniversary this December. Actually it's the 135th anniversary. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out the latest episode of Native America Calling Monday, December 15, 2025 – A Native entrepreneur's view of the retail shopping season

In this episode of the China Global South Podcast, Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden unpack a major question facing middle powers everywhere: What happens when the global security architecture you relied on for decades no longer exists? Fresh from meetings at Australian National University and the Australasian Aid Conference, Eric shares conversations with scholars, diplomats, and policymakers in Canberra who are wrestling with a new geopolitical reality. Topics include: Eric and Cobus also break down China's push to promote its Global Security Initiative at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the limitations of the UN system, and why both Western and Chinese security narratives fail to address Africa's real on-the-ground security challenges.

As the emerging democracies of the Pacific Islands grapple with development challenges and geopolitics, the region is attracting greater attention from around the world. CIPE's John Morrell speaks with Andrew J. Harding of the Heritage Foundation about his recent article The Pacific Pivot: An American Strategy for the Pacific Islands, which is Heritage's first-ever report outlining a long-term U.S. engagement strategy for the Pacific Islands to support U.S. interests. As part of a special podcast series on Business and Politics in Today's Pacific Islands, Andrew discusses a comprehensive approach to U.S. Pacific policy, and he lays out how to build sustained bipartisan support for increased engagement with Pacific Island Countries.

On today's show, a student-led initiative to Keep Arkansas natural, and a partnership to remove barriers and challenges for US Pacific Island veterans. Also, a rundown of the latest headlines from the River Valley with Michael Tilley from Talk  Business and Politics.

In the future near-peer and peer fight, salvo competition and missiles will be the preeminent means by which one country will kinetically overwhelm the other in a fight. I discuss the way the US Navy is in an existential hazard of being woefully under-prepared to meet the threat if Western forces go toe toe with regional hegemons in the East or West. Let's anticipate the disasters now that are the Spanish in the English Channel in 1588, the British Royal Navy at Jutland in 1916, and the discovery in WWII all these battleships were not really capital ships, or had adequate armaments, yet their political dimensions compel not only their continuous construction but are the most devastating when lost. The aircraft carrier has been a signature component of US naval power and prestige for more than a century. The utility has continued to diminish since the end of WWII. The tremendous disadvantage of putting so much manpower and treasure into these single use leviathan systems in the modern world of distributed missile and PGM systems, emerging near-peer & peer adversaries and concentration of power in vulnerable systems is a recipe for future disaster. The US Navy surface fleet is in tatters and shattered by readiness, maintenance and armament issues that are critical indicators of a navy totally unprepared. It's time to clean house and fire the admirals and SES personnel. More on the carrier dilemma in Chasing Ghosts Episode #034 and Dispatch #006. References: Pro Publica: The Navy Accused Him of Arson. Its Own Investigation Showed Widespread Safety Failures. 2017 USN Ship Collisions Gregory Vistica Fall from Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy Michael Junge Crimes of Command: in the United States Navy, 1945-2015 Gerry Doyle Carrier Killer: China's Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles and Theater of Operations in the early 21st Century David Lee Russell Early U.S. Navy Carrier Raids, February-April 1942: Five Operations That Tested a New Dimension of American Air Power Jeff Vandenengel Questioning the Carrier: Opportunities in Fleet Design for the U.S. Navy Jeff Vandenengel interview on Midrats with CDR Salamander Ivan Gogin Fighting ships of the PEOPLE LIBERATION ARMY NAVY 1949 - 2023 Jerry Hendrix Retreat From Range: The Rise and Fall of Carrier Aviation Pacific War in WWII James D. Hornfischer Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal James D. Hornfischer The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945 Ian W. Toll Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 Ian W. Toll The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942–1944 Ian W. Toll Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945 Jeffry R. Cox Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II Jeffrey R. Cox Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Early Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign of World War II August–October 1942 Jeffrey R. Cox Blazing Star, Setting Sun: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign November 1942–March 1943 Jeffrey R. Cox Dark Waters, Starry Skies: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign, March–October 1943 Samuel Eliot Morrison The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War My Substack Write me at cgpodcast@pm.me

We're approaching crunch time in Belém, and a long-running COP30 saga may finally have found its landing spot. After days of rumour, diplomacy and thunderous rainforest downpours, the question of who will host COP31 looks close to being resolved - and it all plays out over the course of our day's recording.Paul Dickinson and Fiona McRaith trace the twists of the Australia-Turkey negotiations in real time, with insight from former UN diplomat Dean Bialek. Plus, we hear from political journalist Thais Bilenky on the domestic pressures shaping Lula's approach, as the Brazilian president personally steps in to break the deadlock.Across the day, the team also dives into one of the summit's biggest sticking points: CBAM, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. In a wide-ranging conversation, the EU's Teresa Ribera lays out why Brussels sees CBAM as essential for true decarbonisation - but why it's sparking concern among countries who fear they'll be penalised while still industrialising.Then it's over to the Action Agenda, with Dan Ioschpe and Jennie Dodson giving a ground-level view of how coalitions, companies and cities are reshaping the COP's centre of gravity - from regenerative landscapes in Brazil to global momentum across grids, food systems and industry.Finally, as we're packing up the mics, news of COP31 appears to land. What does this unusual arrangement mean? What happens to the long-promised Pacific Island leadership? And what will it take for next year's COP to deliver on the ambition so many hoped this decision would unlock?Learn more:

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen cedes hosting rights for the COP 31 climate summit to Turkey – but he hasn’t given up completely. Plus, Reynolds’ warning to the PM, and Speakman fights for his job. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

International relations and geopolitics have become increasingly complex in the last few decades, many countries in the Pacific pulled between China and the United States – the two superpowers at odds with each other. But former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull believes the relationships with the two are equally important. “The relationship with the US is obviously the bedrock of our security relationship,” he told Mike Hosking. “Whereas the relationship with China is, you know, much more focused on economics and trade, but the two, these two superpowers are absolutely critical partners.” China has been working to grow its influence in the Pacific, the area presenting several strategic opportunities for the nation – but is it a cause for concern? “The reality is that China is a superpower,” Turnbull told Hosking. “It is, you know, an economic peer equal or close to an equal of the United States, and they're seeking to exert influence around the world and in our region.” He says they want to maintain strong relationships with their Pacific Island neighbours, and one way they did that while he was Prime Minister was through the funding of the Coral Cable, which links Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. “We thought that was a better outcome from a security point of view,” “But also, it was a better outcome for them because they weren't in debt.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A colossal volcanic eruption in January 2022 ripped apart the underwater cables that connect Tonga to the world – and exposed the fragility of 21st-century life By Samanth Subramanian. Read by Raj Ghatak. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Overview Join Dr. Susan Yoshihara for a lecture, reception, and signing of "Women, Peace, & Security in U.S. Security Cooperation." About the Lecture: The authors of this groundbreaking book explore the origins, rationale, and evolution of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) efforts in the context of US security cooperation. Focusing on real-world policy and practice, they draw on cases ranging from post–World War II Japan to contemporary Ghana to demonstrate how including women in security cooperation efforts, while not without challenges, has improved operational effectiveness across the US military, built better security relationships, and advanced civil-military relations and human rights. About the Speaker: A faculty member at IWP, Dr. Susan Yoshihara, is founder and president of American Council on Women Peace and Security, a non-partisan, nonprofit think tank in the nation's capital advancing peace and security for women, their families, and communities through education, on-the-ground engagement, policy analysis, and advocacy. Dr. Yoshihara was a senior advisor on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) to NORAD and USNORTHCOM, and WPS Advisor to Defense Security Cooperation Agency and University, where she led the team that integrated the requirements of the WPS Act of 2017 into education and training for the U.S. security cooperation workforce. Dr. Yoshihara participated in UN negotiations on development, security, and human rights as part of civil society, served on the Holy See delegation and advised the UN Security Council. She served twenty years as a U.S. Naval Aviator, leading helicopter combat logistics missions in the Gulf War and humanitarian assistance and search and rescue missions in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Dr. Yoshihara holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles, M.A. in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, and B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy. This is her third book. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=18

Within the next few decades, rising sea levels could wipe some small Pacific Island nations off the face of the earth. The prospect that the physical territory of countries such as Kiribati and Tuvalu is no longer habitable raises the prospect that their nationals could lose their citizenship, becoming stateless. It also poses profound questions for international law and the obligations of other countries. How likely is this possible outcome, and what can countries do to protect their sovereignty and their citizens? Join our discussion with Mark Nevitt, an international law scholar at the Emory University School of Law.

As part of a special podcast series on Business and Politics in Today's Pacific Islands, CIPE's John Morrell discusses China's growing presence in the Pacific with Paul Barker, Executive Director of the Institute for National Affairs (INA) in Papua New Guinea. INA is the leading independent policy think tank in PNG, and is among the most influential thought leaders in the Pacific region. Paul discusses political developments in PNG, the role of China in political debates in the country and across the Pacific, and the impact of China's influence in Pacific Island Countries. Listeners will hear the perspectives of Pacific people on these geopolitical dynamics.

In mid-September, while many China watchers were focused on the Xiangshan Forum, the Chinese military's annual high-level security and defense convening in Beijing, another major annual meeting was being held by the Ministry of Public Security in the Chinese city of Lianyungang (2-2-3). The Lianyungang Forum dates to 2015 but was upgraded and renamed the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in 2022 following Xi Jinping's launch of the Global Security Initiative. This year it was attended by 2,000 participants from 120 countries, regions and international organizations. The theme was “Shaping Global Public Security Together: United Action to Tackle Diverse Threats.”  As Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong made clear in his opening speech, China is advancing an alternative to the western-led security order. Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens is a leading expert on Beijing's push to reshape the global security order and promote China as a model and global security provider to developing countries. Sheena is an associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin where she directs UT's Asia Policy Program and serves as editor-in-chief of the Texas National Security Review. She is also a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, and a visiting associate professor of research in Indo-Pacific security at the China Landpower Studies Center of the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute. Relevant to this episode's discussion, Sheena recently published a co-authored report for the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace Carnegie titled “A New World Cop.” Timestamps:  [00:00] Start [02:30] The Global Security Initiative and Xi Jinping's Grand Strategy [05:22] Outcomes of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum  [08:50] What Do Participant Countries Gain?  [12:23] How Do Recipient Countries Use Chinese Technologies?  [16:12] Countries Rejecting China's Surveillance Technologies  [21:49] China's Rewriting of Global Norms [28:18] Potential Policy Responses to the GSI 

With sea levels rising, much of the nation's population is confronting the prospect that their home may soon cease to exist. Where are they going to go? By Atul Dev. Read by Mikhail Sen Check out Between Moon Tides documentary at theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Tom Robinson was a 14-year-old living in the Brisbane suburbs when he made a promise to himself to become the youngest person ever to row across the Pacific Ocean.  Nine years later Tom set off from Peru bound for Australia without a support crew and limited communication.Tom navigated by the stars, made eye contact with a shark and rowed up to 15 hours a day when strong currents pushed him off course.And when his adventure ended, it was in a completely unexpected by perfect way.This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake.  Executive producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores solo adventure, rowing the Pacific Ocean, boat building, remote Pacific Island communities, family, rescue, bad weather, world records, isolation, fear, survival, adventure, near death, volcanic islands, marine life.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Thanks for Preston and Pranav for suggesting this week's topics! Further reading: DNA has revealed the origin of this giant ‘mystery' gecko Snow Leopards Dispersed Out of Tibetan Plateau Multiple Times, Researchers Say Conquest of Asia and Europe by snow leopards during the last Ice Ages uncovered The crested gecko AKA the eyelash gecko: The fluffy snow leopard: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. This week we have a couple of suggestions from Preston and one from Pranav! This is the first episode I've recorded in my new apartment, so let's make it a good one. First, Preston wanted to learn more about the crested gecko, mainly because he has a pet crested gecko named George Washington. That is one of the best gecko names ever! The crested gecko is also called the eyelash gecko. We've talked about it a few times, but not recently at all. It's native to a collection of remote Pacific islands called New Caledonia, where it spends most of its time in trees, eating insects and other small animals, but also fruit, nectar, and lots of other food. It's an omnivore and nocturnal, and can grow more than 10 inches long, or 25 cm. It gets its names from the tiny spines above its eyes that look like eyelashes, and more spines in two rows down its back, like a tiny dragon. It can be brown, reddish, orange, yellow, or gray, with various colored spots, which has made it a popular pet. These days all pet crested geckos were bred in captivity, since it's now protected in the wild. The crested gecko has tiny claws on its toes, which is unusual since most geckos don't have claws. It can drop its tail like other geckos if a predator is after it, but the tail doesn't grow back. Since its tail is prehensile and helps it climb around in trees, you'd think the gecko would have trouble climbing after it loses its tail, but it doesn't. Maybe that's because in addition to claws, like other geckos it has basically microscopic hairlike structures on its toes that allow it to climb smooth surfaces like windows and walls and the trunks of smooth trees. It can also jump long distances to get to a new branch. The crested gecko was discovered by science in 1866, but wasn't seen after that in so long that people thought it was extinct. Then in 1994, a German herpetologist out looking for specimens after a tropical storm found a single crested gecko. It turns out that the geckos had been fine all along, but because they're nocturnal and mostly live in trees, scientists just hadn't spotted any. While we're talking about geckos, Pranav requested that we revisit Delcourt's giant gecko with some updated information. We did mention the new findings back in episode 389, but it's really interesting so let's go over it again. Way back in episode 20 we talked about Delcourt's giant gecko, which is only known from a single museum specimen donated in the 19th century. In 1979 a herpetologist named Alain Delcourt, working in the Marseilles Natural History Museum in France, noticed a big taxidermied lizard in storage and wondered what it was. It wasn't labeled and he didn't recognize it, surprising since it was the biggest gecko he'd ever seen—two feet long, or about 60 cm. He sent photos to several reptile experts and they didn't know what it was either. Finally the specimen was examined and in 1986 it was described as a new species. No one knew anything about the stuffed specimen, including where it was caught. At first researchers thought it might be from New Caledonia since a lot of the museum's other specimens were collected from the Pacific Islands. None of the specimens donated between 1833 and 1869 had any documentation, so it seemed probable the giant gecko was donated during that time and probably collected not long before. More recently there was speculation that it was actually from New Zealand, since it matched Maori lore about a big lizard called the kawekaweau. In June of 2023,

Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument: For over a decade, these waters stood as one of the largest no-take zones on Earth, safeguarding corals, fish, and migratory species. But on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump erased the U.S. commitment to 30x30 and soon after issued Proclamation 10918, opening parts of the monument to commercial fishing. Marine conservation at risk: The rollback sparked lawsuits and reignited the debate over whether U.S. marine protections are too vulnerable to political swings. Just two weeks ago, a court overturned Trump's proclamation on a technicality, reclosing the area to fishing. In this episode, we break down what happened, what's at stake, and how the U.S. can rebuild trust in its marine conservation commitments. The future of 30x30: We explore the tension between conservation science, fishing industry pressure, and fragile presidential protections. The conversation highlights why codifying protections into law may be the only way forward to safeguard biodiversity hotspots like Wake, Johnston, and Jarvis. Join the Undertow: https://www.speakupforblue.com/jointheundertow Connect with Speak Up For Blue Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube    

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we're diving into ocean intelligence. Despite covering more than 70% of the Earth, the ocean remains one of the least understood parts of our climate system — and that knowledge gap has huge consequences for weather prediction, global commerce, and climate resilience.Our guest is Tim Janssen, co-founder and CEO of Sofar Ocean, a company building the world's largest privately deployed network of ocean sensors. Their inexpensive, solar-powered Spotter buoys collect real-time data on waves, weather, and water conditions — information that fuels better climate models, safer shipping routes, and more sustainable ocean economies.We talk about:The massive “ocean data gap” and why it hinders weather and climate forecastingHow Sofar's 2,500+ Spotter buoys are creating the largest private ocean sensor networkWayfinder, Sofar's “Google Maps for ships,” and how it saves fuel and cuts emissionsWhy more ocean intelligence is critical for industries from aquaculture to shippingPartnerships with researchers, governments, and nonprofits to democratize ocean dataThe bigger vision: turning ocean information into a foundation for climate solutionsFrom global trade to Pacific Island communities, ocean intelligence has the potential to save money, reduce emissions, and protect vulnerable coastlines. Janssen explains why data may be the most important climate solution of all.LINKS:Sofar Ocean: https://www.sofarocean.com/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/Please subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool! Send feedback or become a sponsor: in@everybodyinthepool.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday's Mark Levin Show, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for trespassing at a federal ICE detention facility he wants to close. He refused to leave when asked, showing politicians' arrogance. Trespassing and refusing to leave leads to arrest, as nobody, including politicians, is above the law. Protesting inside a federal law enforcement center isn't allowed, and while ICE enforces the law, Democrats claim they're unrestrained by it. Interim U.S. Attorney for NJ Alina Habba calls in to explain exactly what happened with the arrest. This is federal property, and the laws can't be broken, no matter who you are.  Also, AG Letitia James dismisses the mortgage fraud allegations against her as unfounded, despite published forms and evidence suggesting criminal activity. Later, 15 states are suing over Trump's order to speed up oil and gas projects. Most likely, a judge will block energy independence. It's time for the Supreme Court to step up against these rogue judges.  There might be a time when Americans defy the courts because they won't respect the rogue activity of these judges. If judges won't abide by the law, why should the people listen to their orders? This is all about sabotage and obstruction by these judges. Afterward, Trump is considering a plan to strengthen ties with Greenland by proposing a Compact of Free Association (COFA), similar to agreements with Pacific Island nations. This brilliant move aims to bring Greenland into America's sphere of influence. This is what a consequential president does. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices