NPR Piece (updated)

Last night I successfully used Skype to call phones (2 cents per minute vs. over $2 using a landline, Skype name: kate_roll), and I caught Dad just as he was writing me an email about a piece that he heard on National Public Radio about Timor Leste.

The four minute segment follows Admiral William Fallon (left), head of the U.S. Pacific Command, as he is given a driving tour by Major Ron Sergeant, who happens to be both the only representative of the U.S. army stationed in Timor and a friend of mine.

The segment was striking for a few of reasons. First, it cautions against driving at night and mentions the use of gang checkpoints for extortion - the driver has to pay a "toll" to get through the block - of which I was already well aware. Ron then goes on to describe abductions following checkpoints, which happened to two Timorese easterners moving through a western gang's roadblock. When I get a chance to speak with Ron, I will ask him if this has occurred again and if this has become more of a concern for "malae" (foreigners).*

The other striking thing was how unimpressed the Admiral was with President Xanana Gusmão. It sounded like blasphemy to me - Xanana is absolutely revered here.

Finally, more and more people (including the announcer) have been using the term "failed state" to describe Timor Leste. As I read more about this designation, it appears more and more fitting. The journal Foreign Policy identifies unequal development, delegitimization of the state ("when state institutions are regarded as corrupt, illegal, or ineffective"), and population pressure either from high reproductive rates (*check* highest in the world) or internally displaced persons (*check* more than 1 in 10 Timorese are IDPs) as key indicators of state failure. The one thing that Timor Leste, thankfully, does not have is environmental degradation. Foreign Policy did not rank Timor Leste in its 2006 Failed State Index, but I could make an educated guess of where on the list it would fall.

* I am interested in whether or not foreigners are targeted for selfish reasons, not to suggest that abductions are not a problem and do not deserve mention until they happen to someone non-Timorese.

One confusing part of the NPR piece for me was whether Ron was describing the security situation for malae or Timorese. He says "you will..." but the reality here is that who "you" are matters tremendously. Indonesians living in TL and easterners are, by far, the most vulnerable, and all of the eastern staff in the office are either living in the office (Karlito) or living with relatives. Unrecorded IDPs.