When 43 West Papuans ctaimed asytum in Australia in February 2006, it marked the beginning of yet another crisis in the fragile relationship with our closest neighbour.
Anxious to altay Indonesia's suspicions of Australian motives in the wake of East Timorese independence, the Howard government proposed reforms to its policies on asylum-seekers to preclude the arrival of more boats, and loudly proclaimed its support for Indonesian territoriaI integrity and sovereignty-despite the fact that a great many Australians support the right of West Papuans to determine their own future.
Clinton Fernandes traces the history of West Papua from the colonial era to its incorporation and full-scale transformation under Indonesian rule, and offers a penetrating analysis of the problems posed by the rise of the West Papuan independence movement for Australia's relations with Indonesia.
Reluctant Indonesians issues a timely, provocative, and profound chattenge to the orthodox views of the foreign policy establishment and its various supporters in the media. It is essential reading for those interested in West Papua, Australia's relationship with Indonesia, and Australian foreign policy in general.