International Status in the Shadow of Empire: Nauru and the Histories of International Law

IN 2007, THE PARLIAMENT OF NAURU, a (formerly) phosphorus-rich island nation located in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean, was presented with a report completed by its appointed Constitutional Review Commission that sought to explain, in short, "'[w]hat' ... had gone 'wrong' with the Republic of Nauru." The Commission, funded by the United Nations Development Programme, produced a scathing report, which concluded that Nauru was in dire need of constitutional reform and that the nation needed to better its institutions, laws, and training of leaders in the business of governance in order to address thefailures of the state. The government initiated a referendum vote to address the gaps identified in the 2007 report. In 2010, that vote was held: The referendum campaign failed, with 67 per cent of the population of Nauru voting no and 33 per cent voting yes.