Teaching East Timor in International Studies: Andrew Masterton, Caulfield Grammar School Our role in International Studies, I believe, is not to sanitise and not to dramatise the issue, but to be objective in relaying what can and should be, an emotive case study for our students. In analysing East Timor it is important to understand, but not to judge the people for the state of their land.

What is a state? How does the world create a new state? Colonialism/ Decolonisation The Cold War Human Rights Refugees Culture History The people – their stories The viability of small states Fascism/ Communism / Socialism Grassroots Action Neo-colononial / Neo-imperial Teaching East Timor: A brainstorm What an amazing set of concepts we can teach using this case study. Where is East Timor? Why does East Timor exist? Indonesia The Dutch / Portuguese The United Nations Power The national interest Sovereignty Security Nationalism Sacrifice The Cold War

Five key stages  1600’sA Portuguese colony.  1975 The Indonesian invasion.  Indonesian occupation  1999 The gaining of independence  2006 Political difficulties.

How did East Timor succeed in becoming an independent state? 3 FACTORS: The armed resistance The civil resistance The international diplomatic front

Country profile: East Timor East Timor's road to independence - achieved on 20 May was long and traumatic. The people of the first new nation of the century suffered some of the worst atrocities of modern times. An independent report has said at least 100,000 Timorese died as a result of Indonesia's 25-year occupation, which ended in

Timeline: East Timor A chronology of key events: 1600s - Portuguese invade Timor, set up trading post and use island as source of sandalwood Japanese invade, fighting battles with Australian troops. Up to 60,000 East Timorese are killed. Japan in control until Anti-Fascist revolution in Portugal leads to promise to free colonies, encouraging parties to prepare for new future December - Indonesia invades, using its fight against communism as a pretext. It annexes territory as its 27th province, a move not recognised by the UN. Strong resistance to Indonesian rule followed by repression and famine in which 200,000 people are thought to have died.

Inside Indonesia – A special issue on East Timor No. 71 July-Sept Some of the articles include: Timor's women: After the brutal occupation, gender violence remains a reality Born in the wrong era: Amidst globalisation, can East Timor still be a people's alternative? The forgotten of West Timor: Poverty, refugees, militias, and too many soldiers RESOURCES ON THE NET

The campaign News Take action FAQs Background Resources in dispute International law Press releases Media Coverage Contacts Links Events US calls for fair Timor deal By Nigel Wilson, March 11, 2004 The Timor Sea Treaty: Are the Issues Resolved? Dr Stephen Sherlock Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group 18 June 2002

Empathy piece: Imagine the following scenario. It is December 1999 and the United Nations international peacekeeping force, INTERFET, has been in East Timor since September. The UN has also set up an interim government, UNTAET, to administer East Timor until it has set up its own government. Time magazine has flown over two of its best journalists to report on the situation. Each journalist must report on a different aspect of the conflict. Their briefs are as follows: Journalist One: Focus on the background to the conflict in East Timor. This report must provide a brief summary of East Timor's history from around 1520 onwards. It should pay particular attention to the years 1974 to 1976 and should explain the aims of the East Timorese political parties which were formed during this time. Journalist Two: Focus on the involvement of the United Nations and the INTERFET Force. Our readers will be particularly interested in the guidelines INTERFET are supposed to follow and in the governing role played by the United Nations. This will include information on the temporary administration, UNTAET, set up by the UN.

International Politics – Throughout Units 1 and 4, it is possible for East Timor to be the key case study from which many concepts are researched and compared from the vantage point of the struggle of a nation over the last 30 years.

Unit 1: Politics, power and people This unit introduces students to the study of politics by considering key concepts and ideas including representation, citizenship, power and democracy.

Unit 1: Politics, power and people AREA OF STUDY 1 Democracies and dictatorships In researching East Timor as a democracy students will realise how fragile a concept and reality it actually is. That it takes time, effort and unity to keep an impoverished state together. What makes East Timor so special in the international community? Students would learn the underlying values, ideologies, political structures and processes that define nation states. They would need to consider the historical, social and political context of each system, structures of government, the means of exercising power, representation and the extent of popular participation. Students could compare East Timor with the military dictatorship of Burma (Myanmar)

Unit 1: Politics, power and people AREA OF STUDY 2 Leading people Students are to consider the impact of a political leader. Xanana Gusmao comes immediately to mind. Students would consider his contribution to national and international political life, and would develop an understanding of the context in which he has been able to exercise power. They would analyse factors that have contributed to promoting or undermining his power and influence: for example, social movements, popular support and the military. Xanana’s struggle for East Timor’s independence and the current crisis would provide plenty of material. Compare the leadership of Aung Sang Sui Kyi and her struggle to lead her nation.

Unit 2: The global picture This unit focuses on the nature of contemporary international relations and the events that shaped them. There is an opportunity to look at the role of the United Nations, globalisation, refugees, human rights Other concepts include power AREA OF STUDY 2 The international community Students have the opportunity to analyse the way in which the international community works together … or not. How did to bring peace and independence to East Timor. How did it manage the conflict and instability. The issue of the UN, the UNSC, peacekepers, human rights, NGOs and refugees are raised. The role of ASEAN brings the concept of regions and organisations. Compare this with the War Against Terror and the situation in Iraq or the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

International Studies Unit 3: Global issues and conflicts AREA OF STUDY 1 Globalisation and internationalism While East Timor would not be a major case study, references to human rights, the UN, peacekeepers and the way in which internationalism proposes to resolve instability allows for students to have concrete examples. Unit 4: International relations AREA OF STUDY 2 Australian foreign policy Australia’s relations with both Indonesia and East Timor can be a significant case study in this Unit. What was Australia’s response in 1975 and why? What events lead to Australia’s shift in 1999? And consequently, Australia’s response in An investigation into Australia’s economic negotiations with East Timor over the oil and gas adds another dimension to a student’s understanding of how Australia moves within the region. East Timor allows the students to understand the way in which foreign policy changes over time while the foundation of foreign policy does not – the pursuit of a state’s national interest.

For a student that has followed units 1 through to 4, a course that has significantly used East Timor and related comparisons as a case study clearly allows these students to gain a sold appreciation, not just for a significant state in our region, but for the major concepts of International Politics.

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