Peacekeeping in East Timor: The Experience of UNMISET

Abstract

This article considers several issues arising from the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET). It is based on the writer's field research in September 2002. This UN-led peacekeeping operation replaced the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) on the independence of East Timor in May 2002. The current areas of concern for UNMISET include management of the border-crossing with West Timor to protect from potential militias crossing over into East Timor, the immaturity of the judicial system, the limitations of capacity-building measures and structural problems within UNMISET. This article concludes that while UNMISET is a new type of peacekeeping operation for the purposes of nation-building, it should still value traditional theories of peacekeeping and lessons learned from previous operations. Therefore, the idea of withdrawing UNMISET at an early stage in East Timor's independence is considered highly premature.