Assoc. Prof. Sandra Tarte

Director, Politics and International Affairs Program

Politics and International Affairs Programme
School of Government, Development and International Affairs
University of the South Pacific
Laucala Bay Campus
Suva
Fiji Islands

Office: 014 - 254
Tel (679) 323 2577
Fax (679) 323 1506
Email: tarte_s(at)usp.ac.fj

NEW ARTICLE: 'The Pacific Islands in 2012: navigating diplomatic cross currents' (December 2012) - East Asia Forum

Academic Qualifications

• BA (Honours) in Political Science - Melbourne University
• PhD. in East Asian Studies - Australian National University

Teaching Responsibilities

• Coordinator of the following courses:
  • PL201 Introduction to International Politics
  • PL302 International Politics of Asia and the Pacific
  • PL400 Regional Diplomacy in the Pacific islands

Research Interests

• The politics of regional cooperation in the Pacific islands, with special interest in marine resource management
• International politics of the Pacific islands region and foreign policies of Pacific island states
• The politics of aid
• Politics in Fiji
• The role of small island developing states in international politics.

Recent Publications

Book Chapters:

• 2010 - 'Fiji's Look North Strategy and the Role of China' in Terence Wesley-Smith and Edgar A. Porter (Eds), China in Oceania: Towards a New regional Order, Berghahn Books, NY, pp.118-32.
• 2009 - 'The Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in Western and Central Pacific: Implementation Challenges from a Historical Perspective’, in Quentin Hanich and Martin Tsamenyi (Eds), Navigating Pacific Fisheries: Legal and Policy Trends in the Implementation of International Fisheries in the Western and central Pacific Region,  Ocean Publications, University of Wollongong, pp.204-220.
• 2009 - 'Reflections on Fiji’s Coup Culture', in Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth and Brij V. Lal, The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to End all Coups, ANU E Press, Canberra, pp.

Internet Articles

• 2012 -'The Pacific islands in 2012: navigating diplomatic cross currents' (December)

• 2012 - 'Japan's Pacific Islands Diplomacy at a Crossroads', East Asia Forum (May)

• 2011 - 'Australia and the Pacific Islands: a loss of focus or a loss of direction?' East Asia Forum (April)

• 2011 - 'Fiji's Search for New Friends', East Asia Forum (January)

• 2010 - 'A Year of Greater Entrenchment for Fiji's Military Regime', East Asia Forum (January)

Conference Papers and Presentations

• 2010 - 'Fiji islands: Security Challenges and Defense Policy Issues', International Workshop on Asia Pacific Security, The National Institute for Defense Studies, Tokyo, Japan (21-22 January 2010)
• 2010 - 'Teaching International Relations in Oceania: Agendas and Approaches' Panel discussion at the Fourth Oceanic Conference on International Studies, Auckland, 30 June – 2 July 2010.