An assessment of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement with particular reference to the Republic of Belau
An assessment of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement with particular reference to the Republic of Belau
This thesis is an assessment of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement as an agent of political change. It focuses on the NFIP's campaign to defend the anti-nuclear elements of the Constitution of the Republic of Belau. The campaign has occurred as part of a regional political agenda of particular concern to the peoples and governments of the South and mid-Pacific. The NFIP originated as a regional response to nuclear testing and evolved as an international pressure group with a range of political concerns. As the last Trust Territory of the United Nations, under the administration of the United States, Belau's attempt to achieve an independent political status has been frustrated by a conflict of interests with the security perceptions and policies of the United States. The incompatibility of the Compact of Free Association and Belau's nuclear-free Constitution indicates that the United States has interpreted its responsibilities in ways which promote its own interests over those of Belau. The United Nations has taken a mainly passive role in Belau's future political status. The NFIP's attempts to gain international support for its campaign on Belau's status has had a significant impact on the course of the dispute between Belau and the United States. However, factionalism within the NFIP in relation to the issue of indigenous rights throughout the South and mid-Pacific has weakened its effectiveness as an international campaign network. Indeed, although the anti-nuclear elements of Belau's Constitution remain in place, the NFIP's broader aim of Micronesian independence has not been achieved. The NFIP has thus been more important for its role as an indicator of regional concerns rather than an agent of political change.
University of Southampton
1992
Smith, Roy Hugh
(1992)
An assessment of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement with particular reference to the Republic of Belau.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis is an assessment of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement as an agent of political change. It focuses on the NFIP's campaign to defend the anti-nuclear elements of the Constitution of the Republic of Belau. The campaign has occurred as part of a regional political agenda of particular concern to the peoples and governments of the South and mid-Pacific. The NFIP originated as a regional response to nuclear testing and evolved as an international pressure group with a range of political concerns. As the last Trust Territory of the United Nations, under the administration of the United States, Belau's attempt to achieve an independent political status has been frustrated by a conflict of interests with the security perceptions and policies of the United States. The incompatibility of the Compact of Free Association and Belau's nuclear-free Constitution indicates that the United States has interpreted its responsibilities in ways which promote its own interests over those of Belau. The United Nations has taken a mainly passive role in Belau's future political status. The NFIP's attempts to gain international support for its campaign on Belau's status has had a significant impact on the course of the dispute between Belau and the United States. However, factionalism within the NFIP in relation to the issue of indigenous rights throughout the South and mid-Pacific has weakened its effectiveness as an international campaign network. Indeed, although the anti-nuclear elements of Belau's Constitution remain in place, the NFIP's broader aim of Micronesian independence has not been achieved. The NFIP has thus been more important for its role as an indicator of regional concerns rather than an agent of political change.
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Published date: 1992
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Local EPrints ID: 461757
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/461757
PURE UUID: 91eedb8a-eca3-4830-9b6c-7deae92377bf
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:54
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 18:54
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Author:
Roy Hugh Smith
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