The Manipulation of Custom. From uprising to intervention in the Solomon Islands

by Fraenkel, Jon (2004), 262pp., ISBN 1 74076 149 9.
AUD$31.78 (Including GST: AUD$34.96) (softcover)

A chronicle and running commentary on the 1998-2003 Solomon Islands conflict and subsequent peace process. This is an excellent example of 'current history' with focus on the practice of contemporary politics in Melanesia and the way that this is shaped and conditioned by custom. A thoroughly researched but entertainingly written narrative dissecting the major arguments surrounding the Solomon Islands crisis. Press reporting is supplemented by interviews, legal/court/parliamentary documents, journalistic and academic commentary. This is an important contribution to current history of the Pacific and to the literature on causes and courses of conflicts and their attempted resolutions, hence appealing to readers concerned with ethnic conflict.