The Politics Of Preferences: Who Will Win?
Posted by Steven Ratuva
Mon May 01, 2006 8:24 pm

The popular political myth is that democratic elections are won and lost on the basis of people’s direct choices. What we forget is that people’s choices have to go through the complex mechanics of
the electoral process, endorsed by some ambitious politicians and drafted by some overpaid lawyers, which become the vehicle more...

Officers, Gentlemen And Coups
Posted by Steven Ratuva
Mon May 01, 2006 12:22 am

The recent “showdown” between the military commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, and former Land Forces Commander, Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, fundamentally boiled down to an issue which has been
the centre of contention in many countries: Where do we draw the line between civil state governance and the professional military? Fiji is not more...

Fiji's Security Dilemma: What Can We Do?
Posted by Dr Steven Ratuva
Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:20 pm

We are now used to the cycles of tension between the military and the government which come and go, as if they have their own internal mitigating mechanism which create and diffuse tension. This
time around the tension was more intense because of the nature of the threat for the government's resignation and the more...

The Great Leap Forward: Will The Multi-party Cabinet Work?
Posted by Dr Steven Ratuva
Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:03 pm

Apart from the coups of 1987 and 2000, the multi-party arrangement is probably one of the most significant political events in Fiji since independence in 1970 because it is the first time that the two
major ethnically based political parties form a cabinet. However, the idea is not new at more...

Bullets And Bulletins: The Media And Coup Rumours
Posted by Dr Steven Ratuva
Thu Oct 26, 2006 5:34 pm

Why is everyone so eager to conclude that a coup is imminent in Fiji every time the military commander Frank Bainimarama makes an anti-government statement? Why is the international media so
obsessed with coup speculation? Why are people like Helen Clarke, New Zealand’s PM so paranoid about being caught up more...

Fiji’s Internal Security Dilemma: Examining The Military
Posted by Steven Ratuva
Mon May 08, 2006 3:10 pm

The army “morning walk” in Suva City a few days ago spawned speculations and rumours about a possible coup, a prelude to something more serious. Perceptions were divided: the military saw it as a
“normal” training program; some saw it as an act of reassurance that security was intact; and some more...

Death Of A King And The End Of An Era
Posted by Dr Steven Ratuva
Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:45 pm

The passing away of King Taufa'ahau Tupou 1V represents the end of an era, an era characterized by the sometimes calm and sometimes turbulent relationship between the waning old and the robust new,
between loyalty to the traditional order and popular demand for socio-political transformation. When the late King ascended the throne in 1965 more...

A Day In The Life Of A Dirty City
Posted by Steven Ratuva
Mon May 01, 2006 12:19 am

Suva, Fiji’s capital, is our pride, our symbol of civic unity, the city of love and mystery. But it can be treacherous to unsuspecting visitors and even to residents like me. I want to capture one of
my experiences in this not very political article. It’s Friday morning 8am and Suva more...

Diary Of A Disgusted Pacific Traveler
Posted by Dr Steven Ratuva
Tue Jul 18, 2006 8:37 pm

I spent the last four weeks from June to July traveling to three countries around the Pacific (Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Tonga) carrying out a political audit of their national security
institutions. This would be the subject of my next article. But this is not what I’m going to talk more...

Coups And Rumours
Posted by Dr Steven Ratuva
Mon Jan 15, 2007 7:06 pm

Coups do not only involve the usurpation of power and consolidation of new forms of authority at the visible political level, there are also behind the scene activities and behavioral dispositions
which result from the archaic social atmosphere created by the coup itself. What normally captures the attention of the more...