International Statebuilding Through the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor

[Versión en inglés: Civil Divorce and the Catholic Lawyer, Answers to Common Moral Questions, 26 Cath. Soc. Sci. Rev. 193-222 (2021), https://doi.org/10.5840/cssr20212630].

Abstract

Between 1999 and 2002, after a wide wave of violence that essentially destroyed the eastern half of the isle of Timor, the United Nations intervened in the half-island’s process of independence, creating one of the few instances of international administrations in world history. This article seeks to observe the different objectives of this Administration in order to permit the development and pacification of East Timor, analyzing, one by one, the different goals posed in Security Council Resolution 1272. Through an analysis of historical sources, it can be concluded that UNTAET had a mixed legacy. It did have notable success in establishing a democratic administration and ending the conflict – by itself, a great achievement-. However, a marked absence of interest by great international powers impeded socioeconomic development in the country.