Post-colonial struggles in instituting effective democratic governance are implicated in various aspects of identity politics in regional affairs. This raises questions of institutional design and the extent to which local context has been taken into account in each case. Here, the issue of culture looms large. The first two sections of this chapter examine issues concerning democracy, culture and the nature of constitutional development at the time of independence, looking especially at assumptions about the tensions between modern representative democracy and traditional socio-political practices. There follows an account of the Fiji coups between 1987 and 2006 – events that have presented considerable challenges for the Forum in the interface between regional security and domestic crises. The final section addresses issues raised by the intersection of principles of democratic equality and the continuing impact of conservative cultural traditions on women’s participation in politics – a topic that is also much debated at the regional level.