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Rating: 
Summary: A great overview of the tragedy and heroism of East Timor
Review: As the title of the book suggests, the violence committed by the Indonesian government in East Timor surely has been horrible. Since 1975, the Indonesian military has waged a fierce war against the local people, and their desire for autonomy. It is a little known event, or so it was until August of 1999, when the US declared its opposition to the Indonesian policy there. In making this atrocity public, the author deserves some credit. But the credit he deserves ends there. The US supported the Suharto regime in the Cold War, and Suharto used American weapons to wage his war in East Timor. But from the begining, the US goal was never to support the repression of an indigenous population, but to make sure Indonesia did not turn to the Soviets, as it surely would have had the US had declined Indonesia support due to its abysmal human rights record. Fortunately, the Soviet Union is gone, and since then the US has stopped support for the murderous Suharto regime. Thus blaming the US for the violence there is not correct.
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Summary: A Great Place to Start
Review: I didn't know about the atrocities in East Timor and the USA's complicity in them until I read reference to them in one of Chomsky's works. The outrage was kept secret from the USA public for a long time.This book provides an excellent introduction to the history and global political dynamics behind the pogroms. You will be shocked and amazed.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Place to Start
Review: I didn't know about the atrocities in East Timor and the USA's complicity in them until I read reference to them in one of Chomsky's works. The outrage was kept secret from the USA public for a long time. This book provides an excellent introduction to the history and global political dynamics behind the pogroms. You will be shocked and amazed.
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Summary: Must read for anyone interested in Politics
Review: I found Matthew Jardine's book next to a cash register at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) one day on my way to a flight. I read it from cover to cover during the one hour flight and even though I was already familiar with the basic history of East Timor, the book informed me in a concise and well written manner, condensing the essense of that tragic history into a few dozen pages........I strongly recommend that anyone interested in what is happening on this planet read this book.
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Summary: Excellent introduction to East Timor tragedy
Review: The author gives a basic yet horrifying description of Indonesia's mass murder and terror against the people of East Timor, heavily supported from its inception by the United States and its allies. Its short length inevitably gives it a certain superficiality; I don't think the author is quite able to impart the full horror of the tragedy. But the basic facts are cogent enough and should give American citizens pause for painful but important reflections on how their government actually conducts foreign policy and what they can do to stop it from supporting tyranny and genocide. This edition was published some months before the orgy of murder and terror of last September and thus the author did not have the opportunity to bring the story full circle.
Rating:
Summary: A great introduction
Review: This is a great introduction to East Timor, but with the situation changing so rapidly, and with tremendously heightened interest, it's understandble that people would like to know more. One place to find out is the East Timor Action Network.
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