Relationship dossier
Samoa
United States
Relationship assessment
Samoa and the United States cooperate on maritime law enforcement, development assistance and Peace Corps activities.
Samoa toward United States
+25Samoa has cooperated with the United States through a shiprider arrangement that allows U.S. personnel to support enforcement of Samoan maritime law. Samoa has also hosted Peace Corps activities, providing a basis for sustained bilateral cooperation.
United States toward Samoa
+25The United States has worked with Samoa through the shiprider arrangement and Peace Corps activities, and has provided development assistance to Samoa.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship includes practical cooperation in maritime law enforcement, development assistance and Peace Corps activities. These sustained areas of engagement support a cooperative overall characterization, though the breadth and implementation of cooperation remain unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Samoa and the United States have maintained practical cooperation, including a shiprider arrangement that supports maritime law enforcement and a long-running Peace Corps presence in Samoa. The United States also provides development assistance. These activities indicate a cooperative relationship, although its broader scope and implementation are not fully clear.
Key developments
Samoa and the United States entered into a shiprider arrangement supporting maritime law enforcement.
Peace Corps activities began in Samoa, establishing a continuing area of U.S.–Samoan cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of maritime law-enforcement cooperation are unclear.
- The scale and continuity of U.S. development assistance to Samoa are unclear.