Dynamics of Democracy in Timor-Leste - The Birth of a Democratic Nation, 1999-2012

The Indonesian province of Timor-Leste made international news when it decided to break away from Indonesia in 1999. The decision sparked deadly rampages by pro-integrationist militias, violence that only abated when the UN sent a force to maintain peace and help ease the way to actual independence. This book details the political history of Timor-Leste, both preceding and following the declaration of independence, and it uses the events, consequences, and lessons of that period to help us understand what to expect for similar experiments in democracy building elsewhere in the world.

List of contents

Foreword: Revisiting a success story with critical eyes, Chapter 1: Democracy in the 21st century: lineages and configurations of an impure concept, Chapter 2: Assessing the odds: could Timor-Leste become a Democracy?, Chapter 3: Constitutionalism Old and New in the UN Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Chapter 4: Elections in a Young Democracy: popular voice and control, Chapter 5: Semi-presidentialism with 'independent' presidents: political inclusiveness and democratic consolidation, Chapter 6: Grassroots Democracy: building a decentralized state where worlds meet, Epilogue: After 2012: new challenges to the consolidation of Democracy

About the author

Rui Graça Feijó is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, and Associate Researcher at the Institute for Contemporary History, NOVA University of Lisbon.

Product details

• Authors: Feijo Rui
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 01.12.2025
• EAN: 9781041178378
• ISBN: 978-1-041-17837-8
• No. of pages: 336
• Series: Transforming Asia
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; Democracy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / General, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, Political structures: democracy, Political structures / systems: democracy