When US threatened Solomon Islands
Jeanette Diana Affair
The Solomon Islands’ move to block foreign warships from its ports has produced global headlines. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has been demonised and accused of selling out to China.
Solomon Islanders, however, will recall an earlier time when United States President Ronald Reagan not only threatened the Solomon Islands, but imposed a severe trade embargo on the nation, then under Prime Minister Solomon Mamaloni. That is important today, Sogavare was Mamaloni’s political and cultural protégé.
The story is brilliantly told in Christopher Chevalier’s new biography Understanding 'Solo': A biography of Solomon Mamaloni, published by the Australian National University (available free online).
The Jeanette Diana affair
The Jeanette Diana affair was a significant test of Solomon Islands’ nerve and independence and soured relations with the USA— the ‘Big Daddy’ in foreign affairs.
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