Australia, long known as Washington’s regional deputy sheriff, looks down on its Pacific Island neighbours as basket cases for charity, potential enclaves for terrorism, and vulnerable to the temptation of rival powers. On September 12, the Pacific Freedom Forum released a message condemning the exclusion. “This ‘shameful’ act represents a direct assault on press freedom and democratic principles within our Pacific region,” complained the PFF chair from the Solomon Islands, Robert Iroga. “You cannot claim to be part of the Pacific family while silencing Pacific voices. If so, such moves are cloddish, insensitive and foolish to the vulnerable island states whose support he so desperately needs.