Press Statement - For Immediate Release - March 27 2012
New Zealand-Based South Pacific-Focused Geopolitics and Strategic Assessment Consultancy Established
36th Parallel Assessments has been established as an assessment and analysis business that focuses on geopolitical,
security, and economic trends in the South Pacific.
36th Parallel Assessments is a non-governmental, non-partisan New Zealand based political risk and strategic assessment
consultancy. Located at www.36th-Parallel.com, it opened for business on Tuesday March 27, 2012.
Founded By Paul G. Buchanan and Selwyn Manning, the firm combines open source information sharing with discrete
assessments.
Buchanan and Manning note that traditionally there has been little open source geopolitical analysis dedicated to the
South Pacific. What analysis that has been undertaken has most often been conducted by government agencies, academia or
narrowly focused private entities and consequently been largely unavailable to the public.
Paul G. Buchanan said: “ Several years ago Selwyn and I began to talking about the dearth of good intelligence on the
South Pacific, whether official or open source.
“It was clear to us at the time that the South Pacific was becoming a major strategic arena, and that there was little
if any focused geopolitical analysis dedicated to it.
“When it became possible for us to work together given our different backgrounds and overlapping interests, and given
that our professional ethics are the same, we agreed to pool our knowledge and experience in creating a South Pacific
focused analytic platform for decision-makers and those otherwise interested in the geopolitics of the region,” Paul G.
Buchanan said.
He added: “There is a market niche for this venture, and we believe that we are the right two to tango for an audience
that will appreciate the dance.”
Selwyn Manning said: “36th Parallel Assessments does not plan to compete with the many worthwhile news agencies that
report on immediate news and current events in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Australasia. Nor does it supplant government or
corporate information-gathering.
“Rather, 36th Parallel analyses events in the news, assesses the strategic issues and trends behind the news and futures
forecasts what is most likely to happen in specific subject areas over the short to medium term.
“36th Parallel also conducts discrete assessment and investigation on matters of client interest,” Selwyn Manning said.
Examples include:
Freely available analysis such as -
Tonga's New King – A Milestone Along Authoritarian/Democratic Transition Line(http://36th-parallel.com/2012/03/proclamation-of-tongas-new-king-tupou-vi-a-milestone-along-authoritarian-democratic-transition-line/)
Tonga's Reform Timeline Ensures A Return To The Past Is Impossible
And investigations such as -
Fiji Regime's PPP Defence Commercial Arm Targets MSG States
Commodities Boom Widens Pacific Island Forum Rift
Buchanan and Manning invite the public, journalists, business people, and government agencies to explore 36th-Parallel.com.
At 36th-Parallel.com visitors have access to valuable geopolitical information and evaluations. 36th Parallel also
contains deep analysis, assessments and forecasts located within protected Security Levels.
Level A - From today free registration is open giving members free access to analysis, assessments and forecasts.
Level B – This service provides clients access to deep analysis, sector assessments, forecasts, and on-site depositories
of collated open source intelligence information about the region (pending launch of Level-B service – April 10).
ENDS