Although the Pacific islands were front-page news during the 1941-1945 Pacific War, today they are seldom in the American consciousness - except as a perception of Micheneresque tropical paradises. But the islands - 10,000 strong and scattered over nearly one-fifth of the earth's surface - still straddle or remain close to the sea and air lanes that link the United States with Australia and Asia, and carry nearly one-half of US foreign trade. New political interests also exist with the recent emergence of a new panoply of independent Pacific island states, extension of US sovereignty to other Pacific islands, and new defence responsibilities in several states linked to the United States by "free association". John C. Dorrance offers an assessment of US interests in, and policy toward, a poorly understood region. The islands, highly aid dependent and uniquely vulnerable to external influences, have experienced insurrections, military coups, secessionist rebellion, political assassinations, Soviet in-roads, and even Libyan mischief-making. Ethnic conflict and developmental problems also threaten democratic institutions and the region's stability. Dorrance explores the regional policy environment and the issues that face the United States. His book should be of value to scholars and especially to policy-makers and practitioners.