What follows is a brief history of East Timor, providing background to help students understand the foundations of the current crisis. Beginning in 1975, the East Timorese fell victim to an invasion by Indonesia. As many as 200,000 people died at the hands of the Indonesian army. At the time it could be said that the people of East Timor also fell victim to the Cold War. Although the UN Security Council officially called for the invading troops to withdraw, in fact the United States and its leading allies did not take a firm stance to halt the slaughter in East Timor.
Several factors account for East Timor's fate.
In the international arena of the mid-1970s, East Timor's suffering was outweighed by the importance of the Indonesian government. Indonesia's President Suharto ruled over a collection of 17,000 islands in Southeast Asia. The country was rich in oil, gas, and other natural resources, and was seen as a key American ally in the struggle against communism. Trade ties between Indonesia and the West were growing, especially as Suharto sought to build up his military. The story of the conflict in East Timor has its origins in the region's colonial past.