Seminar Series: Abstract

The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands Six Years On – Taking Stock of Achievements & Difficulties
Terry Brown

.. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has, since 2003, cost the Australian taxpayer close to A$1 billion, but what has been achieved? Is this good use of such a huge quantity of Australian money? Is such a large and expensive operation necessary for a country of only 500,000 people? Who is really benefitting from RAMSI? If the ongoing Solomon Islands Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee evaluation of RAMSI comes up with any criticisms, will these be taken seriously? Is the mission capable of critical self-evaluation and serious down-scaling, or are there too many self-promoting and self-justifying mechanisms in place designed to defend the status quo? Why has the Solomon Islands had such difficulty achieving the Millennium Development Goals, when such large sums of money are being spent?. Why has no exit strategy been developed even now, six years after the commencement of the mission? Would the country, as some suggest, revert to violence if RAMSI withdrew? Is “capacity building” really building capacity, especially of the Royal Solomon Islands Police? What has been the impact of RAMSI on the internal politics and nation-building processes in the Solomon Islands? How might RAMSI affect the results of the next national election? With the change of governments in Canberra, is an independent review of RAMSI by the Australian government in order? What might a “lighter” version of RAMSI look like?