The C. D. Howe Series in Canadian Political History. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press, 2020. xx, 292 pp. (Map, B&W photos.) US$35.95, paper. ISBN 978-0-7748-6298-1.
Challenge the Strong Wind narrates the evolution of Canadian government policy toward East Timor from 1975 to the twenty-first century. The book is divided into four parts—From Indifference to Complicity (1975–1983), Clash of Narratives (1984–1991), Trade vs. Human Rights (1991–1998), and Changing the Narrative (1998 onwards)—showcasing how civil society groups and solidarity movements, consisting of Canadians and exiled Timorese, have worked in solidarity with one goal in mind: self-determination for East Timor. Through the various strategies employed, their efforts played a key role in shifting Canadian foreign policy, from one of resisting self-determination for East Timor to that of supporting it.
Focusing on solidarity movements organized by Canadians and Timorese, David Webster employs a story-telling approach in this book, combining archival sources from both official sources and non-state archives combined with his own activism on the issue. His rich methodological approach results in an exciting mixture of history, international relations, and social activism, as it challenges the traditional state-centric orientation of foreign relations.
Webster articulates both government and non-government perceptions of Canada’s relationship with Indonesia and East Timor in explaining why and how Canada shifted its policy from support for Indonesia’s invasion and occupation in 1975 to embracing self-determination for East Timor in 1999. He extends the conventional definition of diplomacy and foreign relations as articulated in international relations, focusing on “other diplomacy” by looking into advocacy work by a transnational network of Timorese exiles that has propagated support with local Timorese and Canadian activists. In the 1970s and 1980s, external factors played a significant role in explaining some of Canada’s policy reversals toward East Timor; however, in the 1990s, strong domestic factors in combination with external factors prevailed in affecting a shift in Canada’s foreign policy. Webster’s analysis reveals potential lessons in Canadian diplomacy and policy-making for diplomatic approaches by key actors around the world toward on-going self-determination struggles, such as that in West Papua.
The role non-state actors play in international relations is gaining increasing attention. Conventional literature and everyday discourse on international politics, in some cases, continue to focus on state actors, while the influence of non-state actors remains neglected by comparison. Webster, however, manages to make a persuasive argument for the long-term impact and even success of the East Timor solidarity movement. An important contribution of his book is the assertion that activists can play a significant role in influencing a country’s foreign policy. The story of Canada and East Timor, in which activists have succeeded in changing the Canadian government’s standpoint on East Timor, is inspiring. Despite the activists being geographically far apart, Webster examines how they used channels such as the East Timor Alert Network (ETAN), and cultivated support from churches, parliamentarians, and other organizations. This book reveals the various tactics and strategies employed, such as letter writing, newsletters, speaking events, demonstrations, and lobbying.
This book further showcases that despite the limited relationship between Canada and East Timor, transnational activism can work when the role of activists gains momentum. The foreign policy shift by the Canadian government from resistance in the 1970s and 1980s to the supporting role it played in East Timor’s self-determination in the 1990s showcases this momentum. During the process, activists put constant pressure on the Canadian government and contributed to changing the narrative by providing information not readily available publicly. The activists managed to increase public awareness of East Timor in Canada. Canadian activists joined forces with activists from other countries, such as England, Australia, Portugal, and the United States, in solidarity with exiled Timorese, then began building local and national groups such as the Indonesia East Timor Program, and later, the ETAN.
In addition, by this book Webster makes a valuable contribution to the literature on East Timor, as most of the literature related to East Timor is written from the perspectives of Australia, Portugal, or Indonesia. Around the world, or at least in Southeast Asia, Canada is often viewed as a country that is pro-human rights and democracy. But this book reveals another side of Canadian foreign policy that receives less attention in Southeast Asia.
Webster’s work certainly contributes significantly to the emerging but growing international school of scholarship concerned with international relations. This book brings the perspective of social activism to foreign policy and how it influences that policy. By combining the historical, international relations, and non-state actors approaches, Webster draws on the dynamic interaction between international and local activists, in tandem with the interaction around the key players on East Timor such as Australia, Portugal, and Indonesia. While this book focuses only on Canada and East Timor, in conclusion, it could be helpful also to provide some other examples, if there are any, that have involved Canadian civil society in a self-determination struggle.
In all, the analysis provided in this book offers a path for scholars and practitioners in international relations to rethink how we see the foreign policy literature. This book demonstrates that we need to delve deeper to understand the dynamic of foreign policy and the vital role of civil society in analyzing a country’s foreign policy.
Ying Hooi Khoo
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur