These Islands

By Robert Underwood

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Dec 2

Christmas gifts for the island from #47

Christmas season is upon us. Most of us spend some time wondering what to put under the Christmas tree and how to keep that information from

Chinese language and foreign troops in the homeland

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Nov 7

Chinese language and foreign troops in the homeland

In the conversation over the military build-up in Guahan, critics are sometimes assaulted with what some people think is a knockout blow. D

Independence, co-dependence: The complex nature of free association

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Oct 5

Independence, co-dependence: The complex nature of free association

On Oct. 1, 2024, Palau marked the 30th anniversary of its independence. The two other freely associated states, the Federated States of...

Democrat vs Republican: Is the Pacific relevant?

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Sep 2

Democrat vs Republican: Is the Pacific relevant?

The United States is in the middle of a very difficult time in selecting its next president. There are self-proclaimed voices of “joy”...

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Aug 6

Distorted federal policies

The Compact Impact Fairness Act is now the law of the land. It is unclear what effects this legislation will have in the long run. It...

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Jun 3

A tale of two territories

The current crisis in New Caledonia/Kanaky over the next step for self-determination does not seem to connect to Guahan’s quest for...

Welcoming the FSM to Beijing: The US has a lot of learn

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May 7

Welcoming the FSM to Beijing: The US has a lot of learn

The 15-member delegation of the Federated States of Micronesia visiting China last month has set off a lot of conversations and...

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Apr 9

Guam gets the short end of the stick

The recent approval of the Compacts of Free Association in Micronesia, Palau and the Marshalls has apparently resolved many of the dire...

Thoughts and prayers for Guam: CIFA meets COFA

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Mar 6

Thoughts and prayers for Guam: CIFA meets COFA

During the past year, there have been several dramatic statements and legislation related to the renewal of the Compacts of Free...

Bespoken compacts among equals or between vassals and the overlord?

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Jan 10

Bespoken compacts among equals or between vassals and the overlord?

As we await the passage of the Compacts of Free Association, there are always underlying perceptions and avenues of thought that frame...

Guam ignored in public, admonished in private

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Dec 5, 2023

Guam ignored in public, admonished in private

The Pacific Island Forum concluded last month in Rarotonga Cook Islands with a significant American presence. The United States'...

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Oct 3, 2023

Being American-- or not

The basic question about Guahan’s political identity has always been part of the Guahan reality since 1899. Is Guahan part of the United...

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Sep 11, 2023

Applying leverage to Uncle Sam

August was a busy month for federal travel to Guahan. The island was treated to the “scoping” meetings on the Enhanced Integrated Air and...

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Aug 6, 2023

Compact Fairness Act is unfair to Guam

There is legislation moving through Congress in combination with the Compact of Free Association agreements entitled the Compact Impact...

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Jul 9, 2023

Life in the first-strike community

The struggle over Micronesia has barely started. China’s initiatives in the broader Pacific region, naval presence near Guahan and...

Funding the Pacific partnership, COFA and insular areas

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May 2, 2023

Funding the Pacific partnership, COFA and insular areas

Over the years of dealing with Guam’s political status, the island has buffeted between being a non-self-governing territory and a...

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Apr 6, 2023

China: here, there and everywhere

The end of the negotiations between Ambassador Joseph Yun and the freely associated states is only 50 percent of the struggle to...

Navigating the regional organizations in the Pacific

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Mar 9, 2023

Navigating the regional organizations in the Pacific

In today’s Pacific island world, there is no shortage of regional efforts, meetings and organizations. If you have an idea and cannot...

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Feb 3, 2023

In the midst of neocolonialism

What are the threats to Pacific solidarity? The state of Pacific island solidarity in the midst of a serious crisis pertaining to climate...

A Pacific Island Agenda for Guahan in the 21st century

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Dec 5, 2022

A Pacific Island Agenda for Guahan in the 21st century

One of the oddest slogans ever used in Guahan was “America in Asia.” Of course, it was an attempt to generate economic interest by...

Guam and the Blue Continent: Some awkward questions

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Nov 4, 2022

Guam and the Blue Continent: Some awkward questions

Pacific island solidarity is at the core of Pacific island aspirations for the future. Going back to an earlier time when leaders spoke...

FAS negotiations with China, Compact impact in the background, nuclear issues in the foreground

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Oct 9, 2022

FAS negotiations with China, Compact impact in the background, nuclear issues in the foreground

The FAS negotiations with China, Compact impact in the background and nuclear issues in the foreground In Micronesia, we live in an...

Learning the language of linkage in the contested Pacific

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Sep 4, 2022

Learning the language of linkage in the contested Pacific

There are two items that should concern us in the Pacific island region. One, the ongoing crisis in the Taiwan Straits, which threatens...

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Aug 2, 2022

PIF goes pfft, then poof

The Pacific Island Forum is under a great deal of stress and some confusion these days due to the sudden withdrawal of Kiribati a few...

The meaning of 4th of July for American colonies

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Jul 3, 2022

The meaning of 4th of July for American colonies

Independence Day is the greatest day in the American calendar. It is the day the English colonies declared their independence from King...

‘Don’t be alarmed’ can be alarming in strategic conversations

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Jun 8, 2022

‘Don’t be alarmed’ can be alarming in strategic conversations

Last month, Rear Adm. Ben Nicholson, commander of the Joint Region Marianas, told the Guahan community: “I don’t want you to be alarmed.”...

Solomon Islands, China and geographic metaphors

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May 5, 2022

Solomon Islands, China and geographic metaphors

A recently signed Security Cooperation Framework Agreement between the Solomon Islands and China has generated more attention to the...

Ambassadors galore now gracing the previously neglected Pacific islands

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Apr 5, 2022

Ambassadors galore now gracing the previously neglected Pacific islands

In the middle of the international attention to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the freely associated states seem to be finally getting...

Pacific islands under siege by climate change or China

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Feb 9, 2022

Pacific islands under siege by climate change or China

When island leaders are asked what is the major security challenge in the island Pacific, they uniformly reply “climate change.” This has...

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Jan 7, 2022

FAS and paused negotiations with US

This is a great time to be president of the three freely associated states (FAS). Presidents David Panuelo of the Federates States of...

Iron island, tip of the spear or spear catcher?

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Dec 10, 2021

Iron island, tip of the spear or spear catcher?

The ancient CHamorus and most traditional Pacific Islanders traded away lots of goods for “iron.” Pacific Islanders were familiar with...

We are regional people. But from which region?

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Nov 7, 2021

We are regional people. But from which region?

The definition of “region” in the Pacific has always been an issue that divides as much as it unifies. How we define a geographic region...

Living with AUKUS in the nuclear-free Pacific

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Oct 1, 2021

Living with AUKUS in the nuclear-free Pacific

The recent Australia United Kingdom United States (AUKUS) agreement on nuclear submarines has much of the world scratching their heads....

9/2 and 9/11: Dates that we should remember and learn from

By Robert A. Underwood

Sep 1, 2021

9/2 and 9/11: Dates that we should remember and learn from

September will give us in Guahan and the United States two historical dates. They could have a great deal to do with our future in these...

Micronesians are dying from Covid in high rates. Or are they?

By Robert A. Underwood

Aug 9, 2021

Micronesians are dying from Covid in high rates. Or are they?

There is nothing more revealing about the conditions of our existence than our income and our health. We expend great effort in acquiring...

By Robert A. Underwood

Jul 7, 2021

Who are you? What are you? Mark the box

What is the difference between a label, a category and an identity marker? When we say we are something, we are embracing an identity...

By Robert A. Underwood

Jun 3, 2021

Can they act in their own interest?

Two events of international significance have potentially dramatic effects on these islands on both sides of the equator. The first is...

By Robert A. Underwood

May 6, 2021

Racism is systematic, not just personal

I had a long-distance relationship with the infamous George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama. It was born in the civil...

Whipping Palau into shape: A conversation with President Whipps

By Robert A. Underwood

Apr 5, 2021

Whipping Palau into shape: A conversation with President Whipps

Palau President Surangel Whipps Pr. recently announced he was going to Taiwan as part of a tourism bubble between the two island nations....

Microrexit: Micronesia is no longer in the house

By Robert A. Underwood

Mar 5, 2021

Microrexit: Micronesia is no longer in the house

For decades, islanders in the Pacific have been enthralled by concepts of regional unity and regional action. Beginning with the...

Commemorating a historical event 'with a more robust imagination'

By Robert A. Underwood

Mar 2, 2021

Commemorating a historical event 'with a more robust imagination'

Following speech was delivered March 2, 2021 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary commemoration of the circumnavigation It is a...

Elected leaders in the time of the virus

By Robert A. Underwood

Apr 4, 2020

Elected leaders in the time of the virus

In the middle of the pandemic, we are experiencing many things. We are having panic attacks, maniacal purchasing, emotional outbursts,...

By Robert A. Underwood

Dec 6, 2019

Our rights are unalienable

In formal conferences, public meetings and private conversations over self-determination and self-government, we are treated to a series...