ILLUSTRATlVE EXAMPLE
SAVING TIMOR-LESTE
Timor was colonized by Portugal in the sixteenth century, and remained under
Portuguese occupation until 1942, when it was invaded by Japan. At the end of World
War II, the Ponuguese resumed control over the territory. In 1960, the UN General
Assembly placed Timor on its list of non-self-governing territories, with Portugal as
the administering power. Following the leftist overthrow of Portugal's authoritarian
government in 1974, the new social democratic government in Lisbon reacted
favourably to the call by Timorese nationalist movements for independence, but did
little to oversee or facilitate the process of Timorese self-determination. The Timorese
were left to resolve the difficulties that arose in the preparation for independence, in
particular the contest between rival groups advocating independence on the one hand
and integration with Indonesia on the other. The most popular among these groups
was the pro-independence FRETILIN (Frente Revolucionaria do Timor-Leste Independente
or Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor), which Indonesian