-{SpoonmaN}-

For us, yes. We are the Colonial power in the South Pacific. The big dogs like the USA and China are either uninterested (USA) or still incapable of projecting power here (PRC). That leaves us. The other large players here are either only concerned with self-defence (Singapore, Malaysia) or are too busy handling their own problems to deal with anyone else's (Indonesia, Thailand).
That leaves us, with NZ as our off-sider and some help from the US, UK and EU when they can be bothered, and some manpower from our afforementioned neighbours, to handle the many basket cases of the neighbourhood.
The big one is PNG, which is custard any day now. Especially if they finish replacing those spears with proper guns and bombs. Timor is also a disaster zone that will probably only get worse as time goes by. Especially since they've recently decided welfare, education, health and infrastructure isn't what they want to invest in. No, they reckon a military build-up is the ticket.
In both cases, there are more and more guns and people who know how to use them, which means that a company of light infantry and 200 police is no longer sufficient force to deal with a crisis there. And that's going to get worse, not better.

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"I have this to say to the people of Australia: Kick me, I'm different."

Parihaka

Ironically it's only because the mining companies have been paying them sweet F.A. that they haven't already. Can you imagine hunting through the highlands for all those maoist variants that are going to spring up
Whilst the US's desire to have all versions of Empire broken after WWII was no doubt laudable from a liberal perspective, getting Aus out of PNG and leaving all those arms dumps in the Solomons weren't the brightest of ideas.

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In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

-{SpoonmaN}-

Yeah, that worked really well. I still say the Australasia idea we had in 1901 where you guys and Fiji joined with us would have worked better.
But noooo, somebody had to be stubborn...

Parihaka