But if there is little they can do, why make them unhappy? ” However, this does not mean the leaders of Kiribati will shirk their obligation to face up to inconvenient truths. “ As a government, as leaders, we must do the right thing for our people, and the next generation, and the generation after. ”
二戰期間，日軍占據部份島嶼，並與聯軍在塔拉瓦發生激戰。1971 年成立自治政府，1975 年與吐瓦魯分離，1978 宣告獨立，隔年接收原為美國占領的列嶼島群及鳳凰島群。