In the post-Cold War era, the external powers’ involvement as a threat to the South Pacific region has become out of date. However, it would be a misjudgement to consign the South Pacific once more to the status of an international backwater as it was in the early decades after World War II. Several critical threats to the stability, the way of life and democratic practice of the region continue to exist. These threats emerge mainly from within the South Pacific region in the form of the following trigger points.