Reluctant Saviour

Australia, Indonesia and the independence of East Timor

Clinton Fernandes

'Fernandes packs a great amount of information into this short and clear book ... It is an illuminating study of the mindset of the nation’s rulers, so out of step with that of the public in whose name they control things on this issue, and one that cannot be reread too often on account of its lessons about official realpolitik but also about the power of public outrage when fully engaged.'

David Callahan, University of Averio, Portugal (Reviews in Australian Studies, vol 1, no 1 (2006))

Over many years successive Australian governments, supported by an influential network of pro-Jakarta lobbyists, worked assiduously to preserve Indonesian sovereignty over East Timor. Yet in September 1999 the Howard government took the lead in assembling a multinational peacekeeping force to guarantee East Timor’s independence.

Reluctant Saviour explains why.

Clinton Fernandes shows how the Howard government worked to prevent the referendum on East Timorese independence until it became inevitable. Then, after an overwhelming vote in favour of independence, the Australian government sought to evacuate foreign observers, allowing the Indonesian military to attempt to reverse the result in an unimpeded campaign of state-sponsored terrorism.

Ultimately, under sustained domestic pressure from activists and the broader public, the Howard government was forced to abandon the evacuation plan and send in a peacekeeping force instead.

Reluctant Saviour is essential reading for those interested in the recent history of East Timor, Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, and Australian foreign policy in general.

Clinton Fernandes

Clinton Fernandes is senior lecturer in strategic studies at University College, the University of New South Wales. He specialises in international relations and strategy with a focus on the 'national interest' in Australia's external relations. He is the author of Reluctant Saviour: Australia, Indonesia and the independence of East Timor (Scribe, 2004).

Rel_sav_cover
Format: Pb
Extent: 144pp
Size: 210mm x 135mm
ISBN (10): 1920769 285
ISBN (13): 9781920769284
RRP: $22.00
Pub date: October 2004

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