Our featured presenter for the month of November is Daryl Wallace, presenting on Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) 50th anniversary of independence from Australia.
This talk will explore PNG’s journey from the past with its cultural diversity and geographic constraints to its current role in the Indo-Pacific region. He will reflect on its future prospects, highlighting how PNG’s resource wealth and strategic location have positioned it as a key player in 21st-century geopolitics, navigating cooperation and rivalry among global powers. By delving into PNG’s historical foundations and addressing both its potential for resilience and vulnerabilities, he will offer insights into how its strategic geography and resource endowment continue to influence its foreign relations, including with regional states, US and China, and its role in a competitive global landscape.