The Solomon Islands, a nation composed of some 992 islands in
the South Pacific northeast of Australia, have been the scene of
ethnic conflict, corrupt government, and crime, including
hostage-taking, for the past four or five years. Finally,
somebody paid attention. At the request of the islands'
government, Australia led a multinational force from some seven
neighboring nations to the Solomons the other day to restore
order. The only island in the Solomons that most Americans have
heard of is Guadalcanal. It's hardly in the musical South
Pacific tradition of Bali Hai. In fact, some 2,150 U.S. forces
died in bitter naval and land fighting with the Japanese in the
Guadalcanal theater. The United States maintained forces on the
island from 1942 until 1950, then left. The Solomon Islands
became independent from the British in 1978. Its half million
people, speaking some 80 different languages, have had a hard
time getting along with each other in recent years. There was a
coup d'etat in 2000. A peace agreement