The transition to nationhood, which will be finally completed on May 20, is not only a success for the Timorese people. It also represents an important vindication of the UN's decision not to abandon the self-determination process in the face of extreme violence and intimidation by pro-Jakarta militias backed by elements of the Indonesian army. About 1,000 people were killed before and after the referendum and hundreds of thousands fled their homes. Order was restored only after Australian troops, supported by British and other forces and armed with a robust UN mandate, intervened. Given all the recent soul-searching over an earlier, disastrously unsuccessful UN intervention in Bosnia, the East Timor peacemaking operation now stands out as a model for what can be done if the international will to act really exists. That Indonesia quickly backed off and the killing stopped also showed how global public opinion, when mobilised by mass media coverage, can help modify governments' behaviour.
All that said, East Timor's problems are only beginning. There are still those in Indonesia who bear ill will. Some borders are still disputed. There are internal political problems and the country, heavily dependent on foreign aid, remains desperately poor. Those who cared about East Timor during its darkest hours have a continuing responsibility to help show that its costly struggle was worthwhile.