East Timor: The misuse of military power and misplaced military pride

Abstract

‘East Timor: The misuse of military power and misplaced military pride’ considers the many complex and inter-related issues – political, economic and military – involved in the pre- and post-referendum state of the nation, particularly the issue that gathered the most attention: military-supported campaign of violence and intimidation in East Timor. This examination of military issues focuses on both national and international factors in an attempt to determine the ‘why’ and the ‘who’ of the viciousness that overwhelmed East Timor. The analysis looks primarily at the Indonesian armed forces and attempts to analyse why the tragedy of East Timor happened, what elements of the armed forces were involved and more importantly which were not, and what the objectives of the campaign of violence may have been.