ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book primarily concentrates on the history of intergovernmental cooperation and focus mainly on the Pacific Islands Forum. It provides policy statements from the New Zealand Government and the Forum Secretariat. The book examines regional policy and development in three areas of regional cooperation; security, commercial tuna fishing, and a new multilateral trade agreement between Pacific countries and the European Union (EU). It looks critically at the justifications made for regional intervention in Solomon Islands, and the portrayal of Solomon Islands as a 'failed state'. The book presents the report of the Eminent Person Group's (EPG) and its vision for Pacific regionalism. It also presents a detailed review of New Zealand defence policy and current involvement in the Pacific, with a close assessment of New Zealand participation in Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
