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The comparison with other peacekeeping missions is inevitable, especially to the recent NATO actions in Kosovo (although not a UN peacekeeping operation). The comparison is illustrative of the difficulties in the Timor operation. In Kosovo, there was an official Serbian Army, complete with posts, positions, and bases, which made targeting specific locations for air raids far easier. In East Timor, there are no official positions or fronts. Air raids are an impossibility, and the only military solution available is ground troops, replete with the danger of putting real people directly in harm's way. That issue was so touchy during Kosovo that President Clinton had to promise not to use ground troops just to muster support for the mission. In Timor, no politician can pretend to lend assistance to the effort without pledging ground support.
Not that Clinton isn't trying. The United States has offered administrative and logistical support, although no soldiers as of yet. Basically, there are three reasons for America reticence to become involved on the ground. First, this battle is far more tricky than in Kosovo, and lives can far more easily be lost if pro-integration forces get trigger happy. Second, America does not see Timor as its responsibility, and as long as Australia is willing to take the lead, America is perfectly happy to help from afar. Third, America has historically been hesitant to get involved in the Timor issue, partially because of a general distaste for land wars in Asia, and partially because of the economic interests America has in a unified Indonesia.
The recent economic crisis, along with the concomitant political instability, has made Indonesia a far less attractive economic target, which helps America become as involved as it has this time around. But the question for America, really, is what can be done about Timor. The first step was to suspend military sales to Indonesia, which makes sense given the likelihood that the official military is helping the Timorese paramilitary forces kill people. The suspension of military assistance does raise the question of exactly how much American hardware has been used to kill and threaten the Timorese.
The next step for America, though, is a mystery. Some analysts recommend suspending economic assistance as well, such as IMF loan money and direct foreign aid, on the theory that the Indonesian government can stop the carnage if it really wanted to. The theory seems plausible, but the idea is a
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