Charles Darwin University Press

is proud to announce the publication of:

The UN in East Timor:

building Timor Leste, a fragile state

by Juan Federer
This is a unique book: an insider's account of
the East Timor liberation struggle. It is also
an academically rrigorous study of the
creation by the United Nations of Timor
Leste, the world's newest independent state.
Dr. Juan Federer, for many years closely
involved in the struggle for the liberation of
the territory, examines the UN state-building
work in East Timor. He concludes that it was
insufficient to lay the foundations for a well-
functioning state. Timor Leste is a very
fragile state, whose future is uncertain. Once
again, the UN was hamstrung by the limited
commitment shown by its member states.
The author argues for a stronger
international state-building effort to
strengthen fragile or failing post-colonial
states. East Timor/Timor Leste would have
provided a perfect opportunity to do such
work properly. He stresses the need for the
international community to seriously
address the international humanitarian and
security problem presented by fragile states
- a long-term legacy of the 20th century
colonial experience. The book's publication
on the eve of the creation of the UN Peace
Building Commission is well timed. East
Timor would have greatly benefited from
such a UN body, had it existed at the time.
The international community and the new
Commission would do well to keep the
experience described in this book in mind.
ISBN: 0-9757614-5-5

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 CONTENTS

Foreword

Chapter I : Introduction
Independence celebrations; The beginning; A personal note

Chapter II : State sovereignty , the international system, state failure

Post-Second World War trusteeship, decolonisation, self-determination; The post-
colonial international system; The contemporary world; Pre-modern fragile, failing and
failed states; Shadow states; International tutelage, trusteeship

PART 1-East Timor background

Chapter III : Portuguese Timor, failed decolonisation, Indonesian Timor Timur

Decolonisation in Asia and Portuguese imperial collapse; Timor history; Portuguese
Timor; Failed decolonisation: stillborn first Democratic Republic of Timor Leste

Chapter IV: Response to Indonesia's East Timor occupation

The international community; The 1980s; The 1990s; The Timorese diáspora; The
international solidarity network for East Timor; Nobel Peace Prize

Chapter V: International intervention in East Timor: UNAMET, INTERFET

Developments at the UN in the late 90s; UNAMET-UN Assistance Mission in East Timor
and the Popular Consultation; International intervention and INTERFET

PART 2-STATE BUILDING and OUTCOMES

Chapter VI: UN state-building administration-UNTAET

East Timor: a special situation; The UNTAET mandate; A unique mission: sovereignty
and state-building; Genesis of the mission; The initial phase: late 1999 to mid 2000;
The middle phase: mid 2000 to August 2001; The final phase: September 2001 to May
2002

Chapter VII: Timor Leste-an early assessment

Timor Leste, early 2004; A lost opportunity?; State failure?; What went wrong and who
is at fault?; What if?

Chapter VIII: Conclusion

APPENDIX I
Acronyms and Abbreviations

APPENDIX II
A Gradual Path to Full Sovereignty in East Timor

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(PHOTOGRAPHS appear between pp 72-73.)