Gaining independence in 1978, the Solomon Islands, or 'Happy Isles' as they are commonly known, have recently been rent by crisis. The nation has been torn by dissent and violence, which saw the removal of a legitimate government in 2000 and culminated in the intervention of an Australian-led regional assistance mission in 2003. The forces unleashed by Guale and Malaitan militants in recent years-atrocities, chaos and dislocation-have terrorized the people of the Solomon Islands and will not easily be controlled. A large-scale program of restorative or transformative justice is needed. Militants on all sides need to confess their terrible acts; criminals, the pain and distress they have caused; and leaders the mess they have overseen. Happy Isles in Crisis traces the deep historical roots of this crisis of discontent, disaffection and dissatisfaction among the sometimes disparate communities of the Solomon Islands over land and resources, over the complex entwinement of traditional culture and modern society, and over poor governance and poor economic performance.