Triumph of Self-Determination

The United Nations effort in East Timor was precedent-setting in its use of a regional power to affect a UN mandate leading to the independence of a new nation. It also confirmed the utility of a regional coalition response in Southeast Asia and demonstrated the unique influence the modern United Nations could exert on the world scene. The intervention in East Timor also set a standard for the successful resolution of problems plaguing so many other regions of the globe because, in East Timor, the UN followed one of its most effective military interventions with a highly successful post-hostilities, nation-building effort.