Cross-border efforts to stem the inflow of drugs and tackle other organised crime activity in the Pacific may be just one casualty of a surprise decision by the Vanuatu government to expel all foreign advisers and police officers from government buildings, citing the need to protect its own sovereignty.
There is also uncertainty about what effect this will have on the as-yet-unsigned Nakamal Agreement, which Australia is pursuing partly to act as a bulwark against Beijing’s increasing influence in the region.
