Legitimacy, Sovereignty and Regime Change in the South Pacific: Comparisons Between the Fiji Coups and the Bougainville Rebellion

Abstract

The coups in Fiji during 1987 were the first fmcible changes d govamne.nt amoog the independent states d the South Pacific. The Boogainville rebellim which began in lare 1988 became the most violeot inremal cooflict in the regim. Both events lxougbt the military to the fcngrouod d dm>estic politics, and challenged pevi<m assumpti<n about the legitimacy and sovaeignty d govemmmts. If 'regime' refm to a lxoad set d expectali<n and asmmpti<n about govemmeot. then both sets d events amount to regime changes. 'Ibis paper compares the two events, using idea about sovereignty and legitimacy. It examines the ideas generally, and in relatim to South Pacific politics, and then it summarizes the similarities and diffemx:es. and draws some cooclusims about regime change.