Edited by James J Fox and Dionisio Babo Soares
304 pp
ISBN 0 9751229 0 8 (Online document)
ISBN 0 9751229 1 6 (Print version) $24.95 (GST inclusive)
Out of the Ashes is a collection of essays that examine the historical background to developments in East Timor and provide political analysis on the initial reconstruction stage in the country's transition to independence. The volume is divided into three thematic sections – background, assessment and reconstruction – bringing together the experiences and knowledge of academic researchers and key participants in the extraordinary events of 1999 and 2000.
After years of Indonesian rule, the people of East Timor voted to reject an offer of autonomy choosing instead independence from Indonesia. This decision enraged pro-integrationist militia who, backed by the Indonesian military, launched a program of violence and destruction against the inhabitants of East Timor. President Habibie eventually agreed to the presence of a United Nations peace-keeping force, but by this stage East Timor had been ravaged by destruction.
The new East Timorese government faced the challenges of the future with an understanding that the successful struggle for independence was both a culmination and a starting point for the new nation. As the events of 1999 recede, many of the issues and challenges highlighted in Out of the Ashes remain of central significance to the future of East Timor. These essays provide essential reading for students and interested observers of the first new nation of the 21st century.
James J. Fox is Director of the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at The Australian National University. He has been doing research on Timor since 1965. He was an international observer for the Carter Center during the popular consultation in 1999 and was a member of the UN-World Bank Joint Assessment Mission to East Timor later in that year. He has continued his involvement in developments in East Timor.
Dionisio Babo Soares is a doctoral student in anthropology in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at The Australian National University. His research is focused on local political and social developments in East Timor during the transition to independence. He is currently working for the Asia Foundation in East Timor.
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