Bougainville Moving Towards Independence? The Role of Autonomy for Conflict Resolution in Past and Present

Abstract

This article aims to explore the role that Bougainville's arrangement of self-government within Papua New Guinea has played for resolving the ongoing conflicts revolving around the island region's political status. First, I set out to unearth the main drivers for its current autonomy, which are geographical location, identity formation and the need at various points in history to address disputes around the status of Bougainville. Secondly, the article examines the relevance of autonomy for conflict resolution at two important turning points in Bougainville's history, namely the years 1976 and 2001. Thirdly, I assess to what extent autonomy can be regarded as more or less successful in resolving conflicts. Thereby, it will be crucial to look at both the legal framework of self-government and how it is actually put into practice. The concluding remarks put the article's analysis into the current political context of the 2019 referendum, which offered a choice between greater autonomy and independence, and highlight the specific challenges that this vote entails for Bougainville's status and the resolution of conflicts.