Mandela had the capacity to operate as an honest broker in situations where others might not have been able to, says Christopher Alden of the London School of Economics, who points to Indonesia as an example. In 1997, Mandela's two-hour visit to the imprisoned East Timorese politician Gusmao in Jakarta, against Suharto's wishes, paved the way for a referendum and Gusmao's release two years later. "He accrued a moral authority that transcended the ordinary politics that guide the worst conduct of political actors." The unique feature of Mandela is that he was someone whose moral stature was truly worldwide, says Alden - a reflection of the globalised nature of the anti-apartheid struggle by the 1980s.