The United Nations Transitional Administration in
East Timor (UNTAET) which had effectively ‘ruled’ that territory for
two-and-a-half years handed over the country’s administration to the government
of the newly-independent Democratic Republic of East Timor on May 20, 2002.
Praised as one of the most comprehensive and successful nation building
operations of the United Nations, UNTAET had the challenging task of
facilitating the creation of a new country from virtually non-existent
institutional foundations, following a traumatic period of violence and civil
war.
A group of eminent scholars and practitioners,
many deeply and personally involved with UNTAET, came together in a closed-door
gathering in Tokyo in September 2002, to review the achievements and
shortcomings of UNTAET, and to understand the lessons of hope that it may carry
for other nations emerging from war and destruction. The conference reflected on
the intense debates held at the United Nations Security Council in New York and
at key capitals around the world leading to the creation of UNTAET. It is also
dealt with the manner in which the mission unfolded, operated, and the level of
reconstruction achieved when East Timor was handed over to its people. This
volume forms a lively and indispensable reading to experts or laypersons
interested in current affairs in general and in post-war nation building in
particular.
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Azimi, Nassrine
and Chang, Li Lin, ed. 2003.
The United Nations
Transitional Administration In East Timor (UNTAET): Debriefing and Lessons.
London: Martinus Nijhoff for UNITAR.
(306 pages, ISBN 90-411-2069-6)
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