Publication

This briefing focuses on security at the border between Indonesia and East Timor and analyzes the strains between the two countries. Although the two nations have managed to establish good bilateral relations and only sporadic border incidents occur, the authors point out that fears remain in the population that each new border incident will escalate into a wider conflict. To reduce this legacy of tension, they recommend to establish a soft border regime and to improve the lives of people living on both sides of the frontier.