ABSTRACT
Decolonisation reverses colonialism, and comes in two parts or stages: sovereignty, reconstituting the dominio of the people over their land; and independence, the right of people to be an independent actor at the world level. Two processes can be distinguished: decolonisation from above, through negotiation with the coloniser, and decolonisation from below, fighting the coloniser. In the Pacific, decolonisation followed the negotiation scenario from above and the three alternatives in the United Nations Charter Art. 73, for mother-country colonialism only. It sees support for the people of Rapa Nui as an important component of the broader decolonisation struggle in the Pacific, and stands in solidarity with the people as they defend their rights and cultural heritage. Militarily, the Pacific plays a role in French geopolitics. Economically, the way the French enter the Asia/Pacific depends more on the quality and price of their products than on clinging to possessions that also give France a bad name in the area.
