Reality Overlapping Principles? Portugal and the Self-Determination of Timor-Leste (1976–91)

Abstract:After the invasion of Timor-Leste by Indonesia in December 1975, Portugal found itself before a failed decolonization process in what had been one of its smallest and most remote colonies.Before the United Nations, Portugal remained the legal Administering Power of the territory, but no longer had any sovereignty or even access to it. A solution had to be found that would safeguard the right of the Timorese people to self-determination through an internationally recognized process.In this essay, we will provide an analytical overview of the Portuguese politics regarding the future of Timor-Leste for the period between 1976 and 1991, demonstrating the winding, and sometimes conflicting, path followed by the main organs of state, amidst the apparent fait accompli of Indonesian rule and Portugal’s legal and moral obligations to the East Timorese.