Imagine that a small country is invaded in 1975 by a powerful
neighbor well over 100 times its size, a major recipient of U.S.
military and economic aid. About one-third of the population- --
over 200,000 -- people die as a result of the invasion,
politically created starvation, and the ongoing occupation.
Despite the atrocities and numerous U.N. resolutions condemning
the invasion and occupation, the U.S., Japan and a number of
Western European countries continue to provide the invader with
about $5 billion in annual economic assistance. There's no need
to imagine such a situation. The aggressor is resource-rich
Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country and a major
center of multinational corporate activity: The victim is East
Timor, a former Portuguese colony 400 miles north of Australia.
But most Americans have never even heard of East Timor. Given
the geopolitical and economic importance of Indonesia,
characterized by Nixon as the "greatest prize in the Southeast
Asian area," the U.S. has been m