It would be interesting to know how many Australians have heard of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). My guess is that not many have, and then only vaguely. It is interesting, then, that Melbourne University Publishing has published a book about the mission. Written by political scientist Michael Wesley, Helpem Fren is a detailed and meticulously researched account of the intervention, from an Australian perspective.

Apart from some notable exceptions, publishers often ignore scholarship by those of us who conduct research in the Pacific. That Melbourne University Publishing is playing in this market suggests either that they think Wesley is a drawcard or that there is renewed interest in Australia’s role in the region. Wesley, a leading scholar on Australian foreign policy, has the relevant credentials having served as former assistant director-general of the Office of National Assessments.