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Volume 14, Number 3, October 2002
Contributors
The Defence of East Timor: A Recipe For Disaster? by Desmond Ball
The establishment of the East Timor Defence Force (ETDF) is proceeding expeditiously and creditably. By 2004-2005 East Timor will have a small but proficient light infantry force. But it will be expensive to maintain, and its strategic rationale is dubious. Such a force is not very well designed for addressing the conceivable (but improbable) military threats that East Timor might face. Maritime surveillance, patrol and enforcement capabilities are deficient. East Timor's security is much more likely to be endangered by its economic, social and political problems becoming unmanageable. Unfortunately, a major opportunity cost of the investment in the ETDF could well be a failure of the police, immigration, customs and judicial systems to cope with domestic and transnational crime; inadequate transportation and communications infrastructure, educational facilities, and commercial enterprises for sound economic development; and ultimately an incapacity for civil governance. The coordination of policies on the whole range of security challenges facing East Timor will be crucially important. Australia's contribution should be more balanced and less militarised.
Activism after Seattle: Dilemmas of the Anti-globalisation Movement by Roland Bleiker
The fact that countless people around the globe see street protests against the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank as the only means to voice their opinions indicates a systemic and alarming crisis of legitimacy, one that has to do with the lack of democratic accountability of the major multilateral institutions that shape the world economy. To understand the ensuing dynamics, it is necessary to portray globalisation as a multiple and at times contradictory process: not only as a disempowering encroachment of large and unaccountable economic structures, but also as an evolution that has opened up new possibilities for popular participation in the struggle over global governance. But an increase in political influence also calls for additional moral responsibility, or so at least it should. Among the many political dilemmas that the new breed of diverse global activists face, and that this essay discusses, are the choice between violent and nonviolent means of protest and the struggle over voice and representation, the question of who can legitimately speak for whom. Not all of these dilemmas can be solved. But the global protest movement, problematic as it is at times, plays an important role in fostering a new international democratic ethos. The very process of challenging established norms and institutions generates important public discussion about the nature and direction of global governance.
Emerging Roles of National Human Rights Institutions in Southeast Asia by Philip Eldridge
National human rights institutions play a strategic role in human rights development in Southeast Asia, particularly in forging links between governments, civil society and the United Nations human rights system. Their impact and progress broadly reflect stages of democratisation in individual countries, as illustrated in discussion of Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. Networking between them is being developed through the Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.
Global Governance and Terrorism by Samuel M. Makinda
While the events of 11 September 2001 violated universally accepted rules, norms and institutions, US unilateralism since then has threatened the vitality of global governance. By weakening the rules, norms and institutions that constitute global governance, the George W. Bush administration has inadvertently created more room for future terrorism. What the United States and international society should do to undermine the bases of terrorism is to enhance international rules, norms and institutions. Global governance is the most effective antidote against terror.
Inter-religious Cooperation and Global Change: From a Clash of Civilisations to a Dialogue of Civilisations by Josef Boehle
Forgiveness in Southeast Asia: Political Necessity and Sacred Justifications by Chaiwat Satha-Anand
Nonviolent Struggle in a Globalising World by Jason McLeod
Book Reviews