[TimorLesteStudies] ANU Seminar by Dr Mari Alkatiri

[Jennifer Drysdale]

http://billboard.anu.edu.au/event_view.asp?id=34937
 
Public Lecture
Timor-Leste: a Bridge for Constructive Partnerships Between Asia & the Pacific
Though Timor-Leste is small, it is fortunate to be geographically positioned on the cusp of both Asia and the Pacific, the crossroads for vital sea links between the Indian and the Pacific, and North Asia and the Australian/Pacific region. This gives it an undeniable geostrategic importance. Proof of this geostrategic importance lies firstly, in the fact that Timor has been historically a stage for confrontations from time to time between opposing strategic interests. Secondly, Timor has been the object of greed of different countries which have endeavored to transform it into a "buffer zone" for their own geostrategic interests. Timor-Leste has been faced by this challenge for centuries. 

Dr. Alkatiri has been a first-hand witness to the need to address this dynamic for Timor-Leste's external relations. 

As the first post restoration of Independence Prime Minister, from May 2002 until June 2006, Dr. Alkatiri has been a governor of Timor-Leste during a time when it confronted these external pressures with greater force, due primarily to Timor-Leste's reliance on external assistance. These challenges loom larger today as Timor-Leste's importance geopolitically increases with its increasing participation as a sovereign owner and producer in the petroleum/energy sector. 

Dr. Alkatiri will outline his experience and map out his thinking, and that of his party on how Timor-Leste can use this very important strategic position as an element to build peace and promote development, how to be a bridge for cooperation in the region and beyond it, that is internationally.

This lecture is free and open to the public.
Presented by the Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet) and the Timor-Leste Studies Association.
Speaker/Host: Dr Alkatiri
Venue: Finkel Theatre, The John Curtin Scholl of Medical Research, Garran Road
Date: Monday, 27 October 2008
Time: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Enquiries: Jennifer Drysdale on 0407 230 772 
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