Others view the latest moves as a further sidelining of the United Nations, and question the real impetus behind Australia's new, tougher role.

International sanction is highly desirable The Canberra Times

The Canberra Times has misgivings over the government's moves to intervene in the Solomon Islands.

Though it does not in any way rule out joint Pacific action, it nevertheless warns of the "considerable risk" of problems further down the line.

The paper says it is essential to "clothe the mission with legal and moral authority" in order to avoid accusations of "recolonisation".

"International sanction is highly desirable," it says.

US concerns

An article in Melbourne's The Age says the intervention is "fuelled by fears that the Solomons is on the brink of collapse".

"Law and order is in disarray and the economy is in tatters," it says.

But the paper also wants to know who exactly is behind Australian moves to "shoulder a lot of the burden" in the region.

The government has hardened its scepticism towards the UN as a forum for solving foreign policy crises Sydney Morning Herald

It is unlikely, the editorial says, that countries such as China or Malaysia would be in favour of such a step.

"Are we acting in response to United States concerns about regional security?" it asks.

'Shock-and-awe'

The Sydney Morning Herald sees the step as sign of an increased lack of trust in the UN.

The government, it says, has "hardened its scepticism towards the UN as a forum for solving foreign policy crises".

It notes that an intervention would be the latest action involving Australia "outside the auspices of the UN".

The military plans to hit the Solomon Islands thugs hard The New Zealand Herald

The Australian says the action represents a "major about-face" in Australia's approach to the South Pacific.

An operation of this kind "spells the end" of decades of "hands-off" strategy, it says.

ABC News Radio also comments on the scale of the operation.

Australia is "doing its own bit of shock-and-awe" as it prepares to deploy its personnel, the radio says.

Meanwhile, The New Zealand Herald says military planners are expecting a "short, sharp" campaign to bring order to the "chaotic" Solomons.

The military, it says, plans to "hit the Solomon Islands thugs hard".

It adds, however, that due to all the legal and political processes involved, a final decision to send in an international force "is almost certainly still some time away".

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.