Describing the Solomon Islands as "fragile" if not "broken", US diplomats have suggested that external assistance may be required for another 10 or 15 years, though it is thought "highly doubtful that the [Solomon Islands government] or the majority of Solomon Islanders envision RAMSI's presence for that long". They claim that "if RAMSI officers should leave tomorrow, the Solomons could quickly revert to the sad state before its arrival".

Comprising Australian, New Zealand and Pacific island military and police contingents together with civilian administrators, RAMSI was first deployed in the Solomon Islands in July 2003 as the request of its government after a widespread breakdown of law and order.

The peacekeeping and institution-building effort has cost Australian taxpayers more than $1 billion. In 2011-12 Australia will provide the Solomon Islands, which has a population of only 500,000, with more than $260 million in overseas development assistance. Australia has more than 100 troops and 15 federal police officers deployed there.

However, despite the massive aid effort, US officials have approvingly quoted the assessment of diplomatic contacts in Honiara that if RAMSI left it would take about a week for trouble to break out since none of the underlying issues which caused widespread ethnic violence have been addressed.

"There are still people out in communities who have not been brought to justice for atrocities committed during the ethnic conflict. These incidents and the economic tensions … continue to fester. As is clear to every observer, over the 28 years since independence, modern government has failed to take firm root.''