The Pacific Islands Paths To The Present [Paperback]

This accessible volume provides a brief introduction to the institutions, policy concerns, and international roles of the Pacific islands. Evelyn Colbert expertly paints an overall picture of the region using broad brush strokes, complementing the mostly specialized literature available about the South Pacific.Introduction - the region and its peoples. Part 1 Exploration, contact, and control: explorers, traders, and missionaries; the tides of empire. Part 2 Toward independence and elsewhere: the catalyst of war; patterns of political evolution. Part 3 The practice of politics: running the state; challenges to constitutional order. Part 4 Coping with the outside world: constraints, assets, and initiatives; international issues of island concern.Evelyn Colbert