This is John Batchel, a conversation with Cleo Pascal of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.

The battle over Palau, the island group well west of Hawaii, well east of Japan and the Philippines.

The battle between the People's Republic of China and everyone else.

What does Palau need?

Cleo is very clear. Election Day, it needs success for those who want to stay with the United States and its allies.

Here's Cleo Pascal to very carefully explain what is needed on Palau.

It depends on what the partners, Palau's partners, come up with.

I mean, it needs things like direct flights from Japan.

The ties with Japan are very close, and it would like to develop economically and in terms

of education, healthcare, all that stuff, with more options rather than just what China's

trying to do, which is push more direct flights from China.

So if Taiwan comes in with more flights,

if Japan comes in with more flights,

if the U.S. starts to help the local prosecutors

go after organized crime,

then it has a very bright future.

It's a beautiful location, smart people.

It's a place that has incredible potential that is being deliberately constrained, I think,

by at least PRC organized crime to make it think that it doesn't really have options other than the Chinese.