Indonesia’s war against East Timor: how it ended

Abstract

ABSTRACT Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and occupied it for the next 24 years with the military and diplomatic support of major powers. Despite its insistence that its annexation was irreversible, Indonesia was forced to withdraw in 1999, resulting in an independent East Timor. This article explains how the 24-year war against East Timor ended by analysing the three pillars on which Indonesia’s control rested: its military superiority over the East Timorese resistance; the support of the international community; and its determination to retain the territory. Indonesia’s overwhelming military superiority persisted until the very end. East Timorese resistance and international solidarity weakened international support for the occupation. Indonesia’s determination to retain the territory underwent a complete reversal over the course of 1999. The East Timorese resistance was successful although they lacked a land border with a friendly state, an external supplier of weapons, or a liberated area in which to recover between guerrilla operations.