ABSTRACT
The endpoint of the process begun with the momentous events of 1999 has been the creation of a new East Timorese state. It was formally recognized as independent on 20 May 2002 and admitted to the United Nations as the one hundred and ninety-first member on 27 September of the same year. It remains the East Timorese view that independence was actually achieved in 1975 (hence the constitution prescribes in Article 2 that the anniversary of independence falls on 28 November), albeit only acknowledged internationally in 2002. However this issue may be interpreted, it is a state deeply engaged with Australia and finding its way in the context of a still unsettled regional order. This final chapter seeks an overview of these events. It argues that the independence of East Timor (now officially Timor-Leste) can only be understood with reference to the conjunction of a range of national, regional and international narratives.
