Abstract
This paper discusses international relations and the legal regulation of armed conflict, specifically with regard to the East Timor conflict in which Indonesia refused initially to withdraw from the country. As this paper reports, the country held a referendum that was facilitated by the United Nations on whether or not the East Timorese people wanted independence or to integrate with Indonesia (West Timor).

From the Paper
"The concept of legal regulation of war and armed conflict has been around for centuries. Today, the United Nations (UN) holds the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing legitimate international relations and laws of war according to the guidelines in the Charter of the United Nations. The UN is accountable for establishing the conditions of justice and monitoring peacekeeping efforts. Brokering peace is an important job and should not be taken lightly. The United Nations has undertaken broad range of governmental functions in order to ensure peace is maintained once the UN peacekeepers have departed ("East Timor" p. 2). "

Tags:east, timor, conflict

Abstract
The following paper discusses the East Timor conflict where many towns in East Timor were burnt to the ground and East Timor residents showed signs of malnutrition. The writer looks at what America could and should be doing to help solve this conflict. It also looks at past U.S. strategies to help resolve conflict in Kosovo.

From the Paper
"The sun rose on America. The quaint towns and big cities of the United States reminded one Kosovar refugee of his hometown in their own little way. He relished his hometown as he was growing up, but it had been torn apart in the Kosovo tragedy. He stayed in America, and the reason was that he had nothing to go home to. He went to his apartment in New York and watched the news."

Tags:hijacking, food, shipments, hostile, image, planet, self-identity

Abstract
This paper discusses the fate of the East Timorese and their continued struggle for independence. The paper argues that, if there were security concerns on the part of the Indonesians, it was merely an orchestrated propaganda campaign and that whatever motives were in place among the western countries involved were base and not the high ideals which are touted as being fundamental to the political systems and ideals of those countries. Furthermore, the paper argues that there is a distinct possibility that there are darker, more sinister concerns and that Indonesian intentions had been either largely ignored or kowtowed to.

Tags:affairs, australia, diplomacy, foreign, fretelin, indonesia, papua, suharto, west

Abstract
This paper examines how democratic governments in South-East Asia use violence as a tool for legitimacy. It explores the unique characteristics of some of the South-East Asian democracies with a comparative focus on the cases of Thailand and East Timor. The first part of the paper looks at how the Thai and Indonesian governments use violence and their links with the military to validate and strengthen their political legitimacy. The second part explores how these governments further use violence to quell dissent and maintain their legitimacy on an international stage, to important financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as to other countries. In the conclusion, the paper looks at the characteristics of Thai and Indonesian political institutions, which make violence an important component of maintaining political legitimacy. It posits that the rapid economic growth sweeping the region presents opportunities for more equitable distribution of resources and a greater recognition of individual civil rights.

From the Paper
"This formulation presupposes that the absence of protest is the same as rational compliance. In South-East Asia, however, the seeming rational compliance often masks an undercurrent of coercion that makes dissent impossible and dangerous. This coercion is illustrated clearly East Timor's bloody struggle for independence. During two decades of Indonesian rule, the Indonesian government used military force to commit atrocities on par with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The Indonesian military government took over East Timor's coffee exports and other businesses. Corruption was rampant as Indonesian economic migrants swarmed into the area for the jobs. In contrast to the Indonesians who profited from the area's business, many East Timorese experienced extreme hardship (Kingsbury 397)."

Tags:civil, rights, indonesia, thailand, east, timor

Abstract
The paper discusses how the fall of Suharto in Indonesia marks a point of change in that country and that part of the world. The paper describes how the country has long been troubled by internal strife, with problems in East Timor being one source of conflict, and the military in Indonesia has long been directly involved in the political affairs of the country. The paper looks at the history of the country, and the rule of Suharto. The paper discusses how after the death of Suharto, the new government was relatively weak, while the military was still strong. The paper notes that this was in 1998, and the issue is how this has played out since.

From the Paper
"The fall of Suharto in Indonesia marks a point of change in that country and that part of the world. The country has long been troubled by internal strife, with problems in East Timor being one source of conflict. The military in Indonesia has long been directly involved in the political affairs of the country. In the history of the country, the rule of Suharto was seen as only somewhat less violent and repressive than had been true of Sukarno before him, and he did use the military to crush any opposition to his effort at economic development. After the death of Suharto, the new government was relatively weak, while the military was still strong. That was in 1998, and the issue is how this has played out since."

Tags:indonesia, military, suharto

Abstract
The influence of democracy and respect for human rights on sovereignty is analyzed by their status as international norms, their roles in the recognition of new states and their impact in regards to interventionary practices. Specific and extensive examples are used in each of these dimensions of the analysis. Case studies referred to include Somalia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Nagorno-Karabakh, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Afghanistan, Haiti and East Timor.

Paper Outline:
Democracy
Democracy as an International Norm
Democracy and the Recognition of New States
Democracy and Intervention
Democracy Conclusion
Human Rights
Respect for Human Rights as an International Norm
Respect for Human Rights in the Recognition of New States
Humanitarian Intervention
Human Rights Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, signed in December of 1933, established the criteria that a state must meet as a person of international law: a permanent population; a defined territory; a government; and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. These criteria entail two aspects of sovereignty: an internal one referring to a government's authority over a defined territory and the population within, and an external dimension referring to a state's recognition by other states. Since 1933, however, the international system has undergone many changes: WWII, the rise of the United States, the creation of the United Nations, decolonization, the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, the growth of democracy, the birth of the European Union, and the emergence of an active international community."

Tags:community, european, principles

Abstract
An essay which analyzes the ineffectiveness of Australia's 'megaphone diplomacy' under John Howard in dealing with the refugees and asylum seekers issue particularly with its largest neighbor, Indonesia. It also suggests a more appropriate formula for Australia to establish better relationships with Indonesia after the East Timor crises.

From the Paper
"In analyzing the effect of "megaphone diplomacy" to Australia-Indonesia relations and to Australian engagement with the region, Kevin's statement that "a country's foreign policy succeeds if its political leaders have a clear understanding of their country's national interests and place in the world, so that they may set appropriate foreign policy goals; and if its diplomats are trained and resourced to carry out their specialist tasks of analysis and representation" could be used as the consideration. Based on his experience while serving as Australian diplomat in many Asian countries, Kevin also states that in most of the Asian regions, economic rationalism is not the dominant value system. There remains a large place for courtesy, for accommodating differences, for breaking bread together, for helping the needy, for recognizing abiding values of family and friendship."

Tags:asia, diplomacy, foreign, pacific, people, policy, smuggling

Abstract
This paper will argue that Zakaria's thesis - while undeniably strong in many respects - is significantly flawed. It will be demonstrated that this thesis - which represents a fundamental challenge to the principles of Western democracy in favour of more autocratic modes of governance - is defensible only if we ignore the "iron fist" within the velvet glove, that was revealed in such autocratic atrocities as the Chinese Tiananmen Square massacre or the East Timor genocide. Instead, it will be argued, a more nuanced approach to the question of governance should be considered; one that takes into account the influence upon good governance of an educated populace and powerful, non-governmental forces.

Abstract
This paper studies the interests that motivate U.S. foreign policy and argues that the U.S. should adopt a new position that aims to protect human rights everywhere. The paper begins with a review of foreign policy positions from the Cold War until today. Next the paper explores -- and criticizes -- U.S. foreign policy regarding E. Timor and Colombia. The paper discusses the dehumanization of world cultures and the trumping of economy of morality. Finally, the paper concludes that the United States must re-humanize its policy approach. Specific recommendations include acting in a truly multilateral fashion through the United Nations to protect human rights wherever violations occur.

From the Paper
"The origin of United States involvement in East Timor dates back to the Cold War. In 1975, on the eve of the invasion, "with the wounds of Vietnam still fresh, it wasn't difficult for [then-President] Suharto to persuade [Ford and Kissinger] that military action against East Timor was necessary to stamp out another 'communist' enclave." This provided the American government with an excuse to ignore and cover up reports of massive human rights violations. The United States remained silent about the violence because of Suharto's "open door policy for Western capital investment." By 1981, United States exports to Indonesia totaled $1 billion per year. Corporate investments in the country surpassed $600 million. In June 1980, Richard Holbrooke, then the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, addressed Congress about Indonesia's importance as a key United States ally in the region."

Tags:East, timor, colombia, containment, cold, war, richard, holbrooke, asia, latin, america, multilater, united, nations

Abstract
This paper shows how modern U.S. policy-makers are in part heralding in a new generation of Wilsonian-type international collective security measures but are also pulling back into a type of U.S. isolationism. Although this isolation bears certain similarities to the pre-Wilsonian type - especially in the case of Haiti - it is also showing a greater concern with encouraging other countries (particularly ones with regional security interests) to take a larger part in peace-keeping efforts in their regions. The paper shows that this encouragement is accomplished by a U.S. "pulling back" of financial and military commitments in regions where it has no real security interests and thus constitutes a type of responsible internationalism.

From the Paper
"Closer to home, the United States has been dealing with the problems in Haiti since the Bush administration. Here, the U.S. has more security interests than in places like Bosnia and East Timor, yet the U.S. has upheld a policy of non-intervention, at least on a military and social/humanitarian level. The active economic policies have been failing miserably. Altogether, this is a good example of Clinton's accusation of "new isolationism" even though it is hardly "new.""

Tags:Woodrow, Wilson, League, of, Nations, East, Timor, Cold, War