East Timor faces the future

Abstract The long struggle for East Timorese independence, the 500-year funu, has been won. The last battle is not yet over, and the painful residues of colonialism and war will scar East Timorese society and culture for many years to come, but for the people of East Timor, the taste of freedom is in the air. By way of conclusion, it may be worthwhile to survey the most important obstacles likely to face East Timor in its trajectory from Indonesian colony to United Nations temporary protectorate to full independence, and to consider some of the choices for the transition era.