East Timor in Transition: Self-Determination, State-Building and the United Nations

Abstract

This article addresses the work of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and the particular question of when and how political power should be transferred to local hands. This is a crucial test of the United Nations' expanding role in such 'state-building' projects, and yet little serious policy research has been conducted in the area. In the case of East Timor, reliance upon the limited experiences of UNMIK, where the development of civil society was constrained by continuing threats to peace and security, appears to have delayed the necessary transition to political and economic development in preparation for independence. Independence will change this dynamic, putting Timorese in positions of significant authority, but should not change the obligation on the international community to complete what it has started.