‘Coalitions of the willing’ and humanitarian intervention: Australia's involvement with INTERFET

Abstract

The inability of the United Nations to meet the many demands placed on it to provide peace support missions has resulted in the organization responding on an ad hoc basis to each peacekeeping contingency as it arises, increasingly looking to regional organizations and defence alliances to undertake the operations under UN auspices. This response is fraught with difficulties, due to the diverse nature of these organizations and alliances and inherent conflicting loyalties. The solution, if one can be found, is far more complex, and the Australian involvement with INTERFET in the East Timor crisis shows yet another set of variables that contrive to form a successful response. It is concluded that while INTERFET is not necessarily a blueprint for future humanitarian intervention, it has demonstrated the advantages of a less‐restrictive UN mandate; the increased international willingness act in coalition for humanitarian purposes; the necessity for practical major power support; and the imperatives of prompt and effective action.