ABSTRACT
In this introductory chapter, the editors provide a comprehensive definition of ‘statecraft’ as the actions that states take to try to change: (a) their external environment; (b) the policies and/or behaviour of target states, actors, communities, and/or individuals; and/or (c) the beliefs, attitudes, and/or opinions of target states, actors, communities, and/or individuals. Using that definition, they outline the categories of tools of statecraft being deployed in the Pacific Islands region: economic; security and defence; diplomatic; ‘soft power’; grey-zone; and black-zone. They characterise those tools as being located within ‘webs of statecraft’ to capture the fact that statecraft tools cannot be analysed individually. Based on that observation, they then outline their analytical framework that can be applied to understand statecraft, power, and influence in the Pacific Islands. They conclude by outlining the chapters in the book.
