COUNTRIES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC REGION AFTER THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC: ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF RESTORATION OF NATIONAL ECONOMIES
Authors:   Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sidorova Galina Mikhailovna 
Published: October 2024

The article describes the specifics of the urgent problems of the recovery of the economies of the countries of the South Pacific region after the global coronavirus pandemic. On the basis of the sources, the specifics of the individual and general problems of the developing States of Oceania are reflected. On the basis of authoritative sources of the latest period of time, a forecast is given of the prospects for the recovery of subregions in the conditions of a specific geostrategic conjuncture of the world economy, waves of the global economic crisis, issues of assistance from external players to developing countries of the South Pacific region, both from Australia and New Zealand-developed countries of the region, and with the participation of the USA, China, Russia, France and England.. The peculiarities of regional local conflicts that determine the problems for economic recovery in the shortest possible time are taken into account: the Bougainville referendum of 2019 and the consequences of the war of the same name in Papua New Guinea 1988-1997. An explanation is given why the Governments of Australia and New Zealand cannot solve the full range of problems facing the developing States of Oceania. An objective volume of factors has been formed that will allow each state of the South Pacific region to recover within the framework of existing incomplete solutions. The reason why an independent center of the multipolar world has not been formed in Oceania, both on the basis of developed and among developing countries and, or their associations. The specifics of the issues of assistance by developed countries are shown, which rather harms than helps the poor states of Oceania, as proved by the crisis during the influence of COVID-19 in the region. A sub-regional division of developing states has been made, which allows the reader to visually determine on the basis of materials and text which regional parts of the area are being discussed and how they are related to each other. A pessimistic forecast is given regarding the rapid recovery of the national economies of the poor countries of the South Pacific region to the pre-crisis level of 2019. The analysis of the source base confidently indicates that Oceania needs inflows of new volume and quality of foreign investments that would allow a new innovative industrial and financial center to develop on the basis of the region, not only on the basis of the Australian Union and New Zealand, but also in developing countries, including the experience of the Singapore prosperity model. Conclusions are drawn on the speed and foreseeable prospects for the recovery of the economies of the South Pacific region with the key open question of the lack of an independent line of foreign policy of all Oceania countries, regardless of the level of development of each particular state. The Vedomosti thesis allows us to define the South Pacific region as an object of the interests of the great powers with a foreseeable perspective redistribution of spheres of influence in this regional space, taking into account all the above-described material.