Australia's 1999 mission to East Timor part 1: the decision to intervene

Sixteen years ago, Australia was on the brink of a major confrontation with Indonesia. A United Nations peacekeeping mission to the Indonesian province of East Timor, which was pushing for independence, had the potential to put Canberra and Jakarta on a collision course. Those tense moments turned into the birth of a new nation. Its an extraordinary story that resonates today. A new book, East Timor Intervention, explores the crisis through the eyes of key participants involved in the lead-up and conduct of the intervention.