Editing History of Nauru (section)

==Modern-day Nauru==
[[File:Nauru satellite.jpg|thumb|Nauru in 2002, as seen from space]]
As its phosphate stores began to run out (by 2006, its reserves were exhausted), the island was reduced to an environmental wasteland. Nauru appealed to the [[International Court of Justice]] to compensate for the damage from almost a century of phosphate strip-mining by foreign companies. In 1993, Australia offered Nauru an out-of-court settlement of [[Australian dollar|A$]]2.5 million annually for 20 years. New Zealand and the UK additionally agreed to pay a one-time settlement of $12 million each.<ref name=":0" /> Declining phosphate prices, the high cost of maintaining an international airline, and the government's financial mismanagement combined to make the economy collapse in the late 1990s. By the new millennium, Nauru was virtually bankrupt.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shenon|first=Philip|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/10/world/a-pacific-island-nation-is-stripped-of-everything.html|title=A Pacific Island Nation Is Stripped of Everything|date=1995-12-10|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-03-04|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In December 1999, four major United States banks banned dollar transactions with four Pacific island states, including Nauru. The United States Department of State issued a report identifying Nauru as a major [[money laundering]] centre, used by narcotics traffickers and Russian organized crime figures.

President [[Bernard Dowiyogo]] took office in April 2000 for his fourth and, after a minimal hiatus, fifth stints as Nauru's top executive. Dowiyogo first served as president from 1976 to 1978. He returned to that office in 1989, and was re-elected in 1992. A vote in parliament, however, forced him to yield power to Kinza Clodumar in 1995. Dowiyogo regained the presidency when the Clodumar government fell in mid-1998.

In 2001, Nauru was brought to world attention by the [[Tampa affair]], a Norwegian cargo ship at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between [[Australia]], [[Norway]] and [[Indonesia]]. The ship carried [[refugees|asylum seekers]], hailing primarily from [[Afghanistan]], who were rescued while attempting to reach Australia. After much debate many of the immigrants were transported to Nauru, an arrangement known in Australia as the "[[Pacific Solution]]". Shortly thereafter, the Nauruan government closed its borders to most international visitors, preventing outside observers from monitoring the refugees' condition.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

In December 2003, several dozen of these refugees, in protest of the conditions of their detention on Nauru, began a hunger strike.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-30 |title=Hazara asylum seekers hunger strike on Nauru, 2003–2004 |url=https://commonslibrary.org/hazara-asylum-seekers-hunger-strike-on-nauru-2003-2004/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=The Commons |language=en-AU}}</ref> The hunger strike was concluded in early January 2004 when an [[Australia]]n medical team agreed to visit the island.  Since then, according to recent reports, all but two of the refugees have been allowed into Australia.

During 2002 Nauru severed diplomatic recognition with Taiwan ([[Republic of China]]) and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with the [[People's Republic of China]]. This move followed China's promise to provide more than U.S. $130 million in aid. In 2004, Nauru broke off relations with the PRC and re-established them with the ROC.

Nauru was also approached by the U.S. with a deal to modernize Nauru's infrastructure in exchange for suppression of the island's lax banking laws that allow activities that are illegal in other countries to flourish.  Under this deal, allegedly, Nauru would also establish an [[embassy]] in China and perform certain "safehouse" and courier services for the U.S. government, in a scheme codenamed "[[Operation Weasel]]".  Nauru agreed to the deal and instituted banking reform, but the U.S. later denied knowledge of the deal.  The matter is being pursued in an Australian court, and initial judgments have been in favor of Nauru.

The government is desperately in need of money to pay off salary arrears of civil servants and to continue funding the welfare state built up in the heyday of phosphate mining (Nauruans pay no taxes).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Trumbull|first=Robert|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/07/magazine/world-s-richest-little-isle.html|title=World's Richest Little Isle|date=1982-03-07|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-03-04|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Nauru has yet to develop a plan to remove the innumerable coral pinnacles created by mining and make those lands suitable for human habitation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://theconversation.com/the-new-rise-of-nauru-can-the-island-bounce-back-from-its-mining-boom-and-bust-62419|title=The new rise of Nauru: can the island bounce back from its mining boom and bust?|last=Ali|first=Saleem H.|website=The Conversation|date=14 July 2016 |language=en|access-date=2020-03-04}}</ref>

Following parliamentary [[2013 Nauruan parliamentary election|elections]] in 2013, [[Baron Waqa]] was [[2013 Nauruan presidential election|elected]] president. He held the presidential title six years from 2013 to 2019. President Waqa was a strong supporter of Australia keeping refugees in a refugee camp on Nauru soil. The incumbent president lost his parliamentary seat in [[2019 Nauruan parliamentary election]], meaning he lost his bid for re-election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/nauru-president-baron-waqa-loses-election/a-50155856|title = Nauru President Baron Waqa loses election &#124; DW &#124; 25.08.2019| website=[[Deutsche Welle]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-25/naurus-president-loses-bid-for-re-election/11446064|title=Nauru's President ousted during national election|newspaper=ABC News |date=25 August 2019}}</ref> In August 2019 the parliament elected former human rights lawyer [[Lionel Aingimea]] as the new President of Nauru.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-27/nauru-parliament-elects-new-president-lionel-aingimea/11454598|title = Former human rights lawyer Lionel Aingimea becomes Nauru leader| newspaper=ABC News |date = 27 August 2019}}</ref> Following the [[2022 Nauruan parliamentary election]], [[Russ Kun]] was elected president to succeed Aingimea.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hopes for change as Russ Kun elected as Nauru's president |url=https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/nauru-elects-russ-kun-as-new-president-/101484814 |work=ABC Pacific |date=28 September 2022 |language=en-AU}}</ref> On 30 October 2023, [[David Adeang|David Ranibok Adeang]] was elected President of the Republic of Nauru.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Government of the Republic of Nauru - The Government of the Republic of Nauru |url=http://www.nauru.gov.nr/ |website=www.nauru.gov.nr}}</ref>