*For more than 45 years, Fiji has earned global recognition as one of the world’s most consistent peacekeeping nations. From Lebanon to Sinai, from Iraq to the Golan Heights, our soldiers have stood watch in some of the most dangerous corners of the earth. It is a proud tradition, a legacy of sacrifice and service that has put our small nation on the world map. |  |
For more than four decades, Fiji has proudly worn the mantle of peacekeeper to the world. From Lebanon to the Golan Heights, from the Sinai to Iraq, over 50,000 Fijian soldiers have rotated through some of the planet’s most dangerous flashpoints.
The service has been courageous, professional, and selfless. It has also brought Fiji recognition far greater than its size, securing an outsized reputation in global security circles.
But let’s speak plainly: our pride in global peacekeeping cannot blind us to the costs.
Every dollar spent on deploying Fijians to remote conflict zones is a dollar not invested in securing our coastlines, protecting our cyber networks, or building resilience against climate shocks. Every life risked in a desert warzone is a reminder of how little has been invested in safeguarding our people from rising seas and internal instability. For too long, Fiji has been the “blue-helmet superpower” of the Pacific, yet the walls at home have remained dangerously thin.
The Peacekeeping Mirage
The uncomfortable truth is that Fiji’s global peacekeeping record is subsidized by ordinary taxpayers. UN reimbursements often arrive months late, are incomplete, and never cover the true cost of deployments. Meanwhile, the social toll falls squarely on Fijian families—lost income, unemployment, strained healthcare, and the relentless cycle of farewells and funerals.
Yes, peacekeeping has brought honor. But it has also created a policy mirage: that Fiji’s security role abroad equates to security at home. In reality, the two are not the same.
A Nation Strategically Placed, But Exposed
Geographically, Fiji is not peripheral—it is central. Sitting at the intersection of Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia, we are the natural hub for Pacific diplomacy, disaster response, and security coordination. That is both a privilege and a burden.
Yet our strategic assets—ports, undersea cables, fisheries, and exclusive economic zone—remain vulnerable. While we pour resources into faraway missions, transnational crime, illegal fishing fleets, and cyber threats chip away at our sovereignty. In short, we have secured the world while leaving Fiji dangerously exposed.
From Scattered Missions to Coherent Strategy
The recently launched National Security & Defence Strategy (2025–2029) offers a path forward. But strategy without courage is nothing more than paper. If government simply rubber-stamps the status quo, Fiji will squander yet another opportunity.
Our new priorities must be crystal clear:
This is not isolationism. It is realism.
Credibility Reframed
Fiji’s credibility on the international stage will no longer be measured by the length of time our soldiers guard checkpoints in the Sinai Desert. It will be measured by whether we have the courage to safeguard our own house and to act as the true regional hub the Pacific so desperately needs.
Global missions may earn us applause, but they do not stop rising sea levels, they do not deter narcotics traffickers, and they do not prevent corruption from undermining our institutions. Our children will not eat applause.
A Call for Balance
Fiji’s soldiers have already paid their dues to the world—often with their lives. The time has come for the government to pay its dues to the soldiers, and to the nation they swore to defend.
We must continue to serve the world, but no longer at the expense of our own security. To do otherwise is not sacrifice—it is negligence dressed up as diplomacy.
God bless Fiji and its people.
The service has been courageous, professional, and selfless. It has also brought Fiji recognition far greater than its size, securing an outsized reputation in global security circles.
But let’s speak plainly: our pride in global peacekeeping cannot blind us to the costs.
Every dollar spent on deploying Fijians to remote conflict zones is a dollar not invested in securing our coastlines, protecting our cyber networks, or building resilience against climate shocks. Every life risked in a desert warzone is a reminder of how little has been invested in safeguarding our people from rising seas and internal instability. For too long, Fiji has been the “blue-helmet superpower” of the Pacific, yet the walls at home have remained dangerously thin.
The Peacekeeping Mirage
The uncomfortable truth is that Fiji’s global peacekeeping record is subsidized by ordinary taxpayers. UN reimbursements often arrive months late, are incomplete, and never cover the true cost of deployments. Meanwhile, the social toll falls squarely on Fijian families—lost income, unemployment, strained healthcare, and the relentless cycle of farewells and funerals.
Yes, peacekeeping has brought honor. But it has also created a policy mirage: that Fiji’s security role abroad equates to security at home. In reality, the two are not the same.
A Nation Strategically Placed, But Exposed
Geographically, Fiji is not peripheral—it is central. Sitting at the intersection of Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia, we are the natural hub for Pacific diplomacy, disaster response, and security coordination. That is both a privilege and a burden.
Yet our strategic assets—ports, undersea cables, fisheries, and exclusive economic zone—remain vulnerable. While we pour resources into faraway missions, transnational crime, illegal fishing fleets, and cyber threats chip away at our sovereignty. In short, we have secured the world while leaving Fiji dangerously exposed.
From Scattered Missions to Coherent Strategy
The recently launched National Security & Defence Strategy (2025–2029) offers a path forward. But strategy without courage is nothing more than paper. If government simply rubber-stamps the status quo, Fiji will squander yet another opportunity.
Our new priorities must be crystal clear:
- Fiji First – Protect our borders, our data, and our people before anything else.
- Pacific Stability – Take leadership in regional security and climate resilience, coordinating humanitarian and disaster response across island states.
- Selective Deployments – Contribute to UN peacekeeping only where Fiji’s own security and diplomatic leverage are directly strengthened.
This is not isolationism. It is realism.
Credibility Reframed
Fiji’s credibility on the international stage will no longer be measured by the length of time our soldiers guard checkpoints in the Sinai Desert. It will be measured by whether we have the courage to safeguard our own house and to act as the true regional hub the Pacific so desperately needs.
Global missions may earn us applause, but they do not stop rising sea levels, they do not deter narcotics traffickers, and they do not prevent corruption from undermining our institutions. Our children will not eat applause.
A Call for Balance
Fiji’s soldiers have already paid their dues to the world—often with their lives. The time has come for the government to pay its dues to the soldiers, and to the nation they swore to defend.
We must continue to serve the world, but no longer at the expense of our own security. To do otherwise is not sacrifice—it is negligence dressed up as diplomacy.
God bless Fiji and its people.
Jim Sanday The article by Jim Sanday, titled “Securing the World While Leaving Itself Exposed” (Fiji Sun, Aug 16–17, 2025), makes the following key points:
Summary of Jim Sanday’s Article
Fiji’s Peacekeeping Legacy
Hidden Costs on Fiji
Scattered Commitments, Weak Strategy
National Security & Defence Strategy (NSDS)
Fiji’s True Role – Regional Hub
Redefining Security Priorities
Measuring Credibility Differently
Closing Appeal
In short: Sanday praises Fiji’s peacekeeping tradition but warns it has come at the cost of neglecting domestic and regional security. He calls for a strategic shift: Fiji first, Pacific stability second, and selective global missions only when in Fiji’s interest.
Summary of Jim Sanday’s Article
Fiji’s Peacekeeping Legacy
- Since 1978, over 50,000 Fijians have served in UN and multinational peacekeeping missions.
- Fiji has the highest per capita contribution to UN peacekeeping globally, a record of pride but also heavy cost.
Hidden Costs on Fiji
- Deployments are largely funded by Fijian taxpayers.
- Families already face daily struggles (living costs, unemployment, weak services), while peacekeeping reimbursements arrive late and are inadequate.
- Every dollar spent abroad is a dollar not spent on Fiji’s own security, policing, cyber defence, and climate resilience.
Scattered Commitments, Weak Strategy
- Fiji has long been engaged in global missions without coherent strategy.
- This leaves the nation itself more vulnerable.
National Security & Defence Strategy (NSDS)
- The recently approved NSDS (2025–2029) provides a framework for aligning foreign and domestic security.
- Sanday argues it should not be a rubber stamp but a serious re-focusing of Fiji’s priorities.
Fiji’s True Role – Regional Hub
- Fiji is strategically central in the Pacific (Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia).
- Its leadership should focus on regional coordination — disaster relief, climate adaptation, humanitarian work, combating transnational crime.
Redefining Security Priorities
- Clear line must be drawn:
- Fiji first (defend borders, people, resilience).
- Protect Pacific stability.
- Lead humanitarian and disaster response.
- Only selective overseas missions where Fiji’s interests benefit.
Measuring Credibility Differently
- Fiji’s global standing should not be judged by how long soldiers serve in Sinai or the Golan Heights.
- It should be judged by whether Fiji can protect its people and lead the Pacific towards stability and peace.
Closing Appeal
- Fiji’s soldiers have already paid their dues to the world.
- Now government must pay its dues to the soldiers and to Fiji itself.
- “God bless Fiji and its people.”
In short: Sanday praises Fiji’s peacekeeping tradition but warns it has come at the cost of neglecting domestic and regional security. He calls for a strategic shift: Fiji first, Pacific stability second, and selective global missions only when in Fiji’s interest.
