By Lyle Goldstein
During World War II, the Solomon Islands were the site of some of the most brutal fighting in the whole Pacific War. For seven months in 1942-43, the Americans and Japanese slugged it out on the island of Guadalcanal. Many strategists regard this as a pivotal battle in the Pacific, much like the famous Battle of Midway.
Today, these islands have emerged once more as part of a geopolitical struggle — this time between the U.S. and Australia, on the one hand, and China on the other. Beijing has signed a “security cooperation agreement” with the Solomon Islands, and this has ignited quite a furor in Washington and Canberra.
The U.S. and Australia have been working to contain the growth of China’s influence across the Asia-Pacific. Last fall, the two countries decided to link with Britain to create the AUKUS partnership, which will share defense technologies, especially for building and operating nuclear submarines. Australia and the U.S. also have teamed up with India and Japan — the “Quad” framework — which is also designed to serve as a check on China.
This piece was originally published in The Hill on April 27, 2022. Read more HERE.