What Can Bougainville’s Independence Movement Learn from Timor-Leste?

After decades of waiting, Timor-Leste’s independence came suddenly. Bougainville should be prepared for a similar trajectory.

Publication Type: Analysis and Commentary

Timor-Leste and Bougainville are two small, tropical island communities — one in Southeast Asia, the other in the South Pacific. While their culture and histories are distinct, they share a common political bond. They both voted overwhelmingly for independence in internationally sanctioned referendums, with Timor-Leste’s vote coming in 1999 and Bougainville’s in 2019. But only Timor-Leste, which is also referred to as East Timor, is now its own nation. What parallels does the path to self-determination in Timor-Leste […]

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