AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: East Timor: The Price of Freedom by John G. Taylor ISBN: 1-85649-841-7 Publisher: Zed Books Pub. Date: March, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.50

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: A good introduction to East Timor
Comment: Professor Taylor in this book presents a pretty thorough history of East Timor. He lays emphasis on the development of its indiginous culture particularly the kinship system which helped it survive Portugese rule and the barbaric Indonesian occupation. He examines the efforts of foreign powers particularly the United States and Australia and even Portugal (at least until the early 80's) to support Indonesia taking over East Timor, the United States taking the lead in replenishing Indonesia with advanced weapons when it ran into trouble as before its "encirclement and annihilation" campaigns of the late 70's.

He examines the East Timorese indigenous culture including the kinship system which is deeply ingrained in the society and helped it survive Portugese rule and (just barely) Indonesian rule; up until 1990 the major Indonesian military campaigns (Persuatan, the dreadful Fence of Legs, etc.), the World Bank funded forced sterilization of Timorese women, some of the major massacres, the ideology of Fretilin, the "resettlement villages," the economic activities of companies like P.T. Denok in East Timor, the visits of foreign journalists and delegations of politicians, the apologetics for the Indonesian regime by the Catholic Relief services.

I think that his rather long introduction about the September 1999 incident and the chronicles of events during the 90's in the timeline at the end of the book serve as more than adequate updates. However I think he is rather too soft on the role (or lack there of) of the Western powers during the 1999 crises. Those countries continued to have normal military and diplomatic relations with Indonesia up until about two weeks into the crises when East Timor was basically destroyed and its population driven from their homes, when they finally engaged in minimally serious gestures, temporarily suspendeding military relations with Indonesia and agreed to a peackeeping force which was probably not needed under the pressure of Australian public opinion. Very little effort was made to conduct war crimes trials or investigations or help the country seriously rebuild from the years of destruction and occupation which America and its allies were in large part responsible for. There's alot more that can be said about this but the criticisms of Indonesia by U.S. leaders in the months leading up to the crises which Taylor lays great stress on are completely worthless.

In anycase a minor flaw; this is a very good introduction to East Timor, if slightly dry here and there with small print.

Rating: 5
Summary: An absolute must for any study of East Timor
Comment: John Taylor simply sets the standard, with this new and comprehensive text, on a subject in which he has long been an authority. The book is tremendously comprehensive, approaching a variety of issues relating to East Timor's past and recent history as well as the present. It offers analyses, always well substantiated, and without giving excessive space to the author's own subjective views. It is well written and easy-to-read. All in all, it is a book that should be read by anyone studying this topic, whether a beginner or expert.

Rating: 3
Summary: old wine in new bottles
Comment: Readers should be aware that this book was published in 1991, with a different title, "Indonesia's Forgotten War: The Hidden History of East Timor". The only differences are an updated chronology and one new chapter about recents events since 1998. The 1990s are not carefully treated.

Similar Books:

Title: Funu the Unfinished Saga of East Timor by Jose Ramos-Horta ISBN: 0932415156 Publisher: Red Sea Pr Pub. Date: December, 1987 List Price(USD): $18.95