Phil is correct. I agree that the Fiji military is acting like an internal police force now, ever since the military took over in the last coup. This is shown by the arrests of dissidents, and their various efforts to debunk supposedly corrupt administrators (which was their main reason for the coup).

You said that the West had moved away from this. That’s true, but you also suggested that Fiji has not. I should point out that before Bainimarama’s coup, the military had no involvement in civilian policing (unless you look at the previous coup eras). So the main role of Fiji’s military was not internal policing, but it might be now.

As Phil wrote, the military is heavily involved with the UN, although that may not continue if Australia and NZ have their way, which would be a shame, as Fijian peacekeepers are well-renowned.

As for the article, I can assure you that Australia, the USA and UK have little understanding of Fijian society and politics. However, I doubt that they would actually do something like try to incite mutiny. We can of course look at USA history and their involvement in political manipultions especially during the Cold War. However, I really don’t think Fiji is in any way so important that these governments would do something so edgy.

Yes, Fiji’s military is used by the UN. I guess my point is that the Fijian military main function is that of an internal policing role.

Fiji’s military is widely used externally by the UN, and in that sense it is more like a government-owned mercenary force. It has become an internal policing force, but I think it originally developed for external purposes especially when it was sent to fight in the Solomons in WWII.

Does anyone actually believe that? This 60 year old was quite obviously being used as a political football do to other disagreements at the time.

It is interesting when you look at how and what various countries ‘military’ forces were developed for. Fiji’s military is used to ‘police’ its people internally, not defend from external threats.

In the West for the most part we have moved away from this. The military is turned outward and the police service is inward.

Adam: Well there’s more of a tradition of that with native Fijian soldiers. But I know what you mean – NZ colonial administrators often behaved like mini-dictators in the islands, with little oversight by elected officials at home. I don’t think the combined diplomats of the US, UK and Australia wanted to be dictators of Fiji though!

The modern equivalent of what you describe is probably the conmen who exploit weak island states and the vanity of some island politicians. Like the American “court jester” of Tonga…

What are the differences between Western and Fijian society?