A Velvet Glove?
Coercion, and the Australasian Response to the 2006 Fijian Coup
Author: Matthew Hill
Volume 6, Number 2 (Winter 2010), pp. 105-122.
Abstract
New Zealand and Australia’s strategic interests in regional stability and the promotion of democratic norms have necessitated engagement with political events in Fiji prior to and in the wake of the 2006 coup. Australasian policies towards Suva during this period provide a valuable case study for the examination of coercion theory in the context of the South Pacific. Initial deterrent measures and the subsequent attempts to compel a return to democratically-elected government have failed. This impasse supports a range of conceptual and practical insights regarding expectations of future conflict, grand strategic interests, and the dividing line between coercion and intervention.
About the Author
Matthew Hill is currently pursuing a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) through the Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence program at the Australian National University. He holds an Honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Otago. matthew.alexander.hill@gmail.com.
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