Pacific Forum

Pacific Forum The Pacific Forum is a Honolulu-based foreign policy research institute and regional security dialogue facilitator linking policymakers, analysts, and scholars across the Asia-Pacific and Pacific Islands. Founded in 1975, it promotes policy-relevant research, Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy, and capacity building among institutions spanning East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the United States. Its work intersects with issues addressed by bodies such as the United Nations, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and regional capitals including Tokyo, Beijing, Canberra, Wellington, and Suva.

History

Established during the Cold War era, the organization emerged as part of broader initiatives that included the establishment of the Carlyle Group-era think tank milieu in Honolulu and contemporaneous institutions like the East-West Center and the Council on Foreign Relations. Early programming concentrated on maritime security dialogues influenced by events such as the Vietnam War aftermath, the Cuban Missile Crisis lessons applied to Asia, and evolving alliances exemplified by the ANZUS Treaty. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it expanded networks linking Washington policymakers involved with the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Pacific capitals engaged with the South Pacific Forum and later the Pacific Islands Forum. Post-9/11 shifts saw new emphases on counterterrorism collaborations intersecting with initiatives led by the Department of Defense (United States) and multilateral exercises like RIMPAC. In the 2010s, the institute adapted to rising strategic competition involving People's Republic of China policy and initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, while engaging with climate diplomacy shaped by the Paris Agreement.

Membership and Organization

The institute operates as an independent non-profit entity headquartered near University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research centers and works closely with partner institutions including the Lowy Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies, National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Asia Foundation. Its governing board has featured retired officials from institutions such as the United States Department of State, former diplomats accredited to capitals like Seoul and Delhi, and scholars affiliated with universities including Stanford University, Harvard University, Australian National University, and University of Tokyo. Membership of its advisory networks draws mid-career experts from think tanks such as Chatham House, policy fellows from the Brookings Institution, and independent researchers from Pacific capitals like Port Moresby and Apia. Programmatic divisions coordinate specialists on defense issues linked to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, maritime law experts familiar with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and climate resilience practitioners engaged with the Green Climate Fund.

Objectives and Activities

Primary objectives include facilitating dialogue among policymakers from the United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, Philippines, and Pacific Island states; producing policy analysis relevant to security, trade, and development; and training emerging leaders through fellowship programs connected to networks like the Young Pacific Leaders Program. Activities comprise publishing policy briefs and working papers analogous to outputs from the RAND Corporation and International Crisis Group, convening dialogue series modeled on the Shangri-La Dialogue, and running capacity workshops paralleling the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat initiatives. The institute also organizes maritime security roundtables involving personnel from navies such as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the United States Navy, and climate-vulnerability seminars that engage negotiators active in sessions of the Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC).

Meetings and Summits

The institute hosts annual conferences, region-focused workshops, and bilateral Track 1.5 meetings that bring together officials who have served in bodies such as the U.S. Department of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China). High-profile gatherings have been timed alongside events like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meetings and the East Asia Summit. The organization has facilitated closed-door dialogues between delegations with ties to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and delegations from Washington, D.C. and Tokyo. It also sponsors academic panels that mirror sessions at international conferences such as the International Studies Association annual meeting and collaborates with regional institutions to co-host forums in cities including Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, and Vancouver.

Regional Impact and Criticism

Supporters point to its role in sustaining Track 2 diplomacy that complements formal mechanisms like the ASEAN Regional Forum and in building professional networks among policy communities from Hawaii to Honiara. Its policy recommendations have informed deliberations in national capitals and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Critics, however, argue that think tanks of its type can reflect donor agendas associated with entities like the U.S. Agency for International Development or bilateral aid programs from Australia and may underrepresent voices from smaller Pacific states such as Tuvalu and Nauru. Other critiques note tensions when convening actors representing contested positions tied to South China Sea arbitration disputes and argue for greater transparency similar to disclosure practices promoted by networks like the Open Society Foundations transparency initiatives.

Category:Think tanks based in the United States Category:International relations organizations