The map of the Pacific remained more or less static from 1985 when Palau became the last nation to enter into its era of independence while remaining freely associated with the United States.

Open a book of maps and look for the "Indo-Pacific" region—it likely won't be there. Yet the Indo-Pacific is now central to how many countries think about strategy and security.

Samoa’s turmoil reflects broader political instability across the Pacific, which is bound up with sharp shifts in global politics under the escalating capitalist crisis.

China, of course, has legitimate economic and political interests in the south Pacific too. It is a vital export market for natural resources from Pacific island states and is a key source of ...