Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.
M ARYANNE KELTON AND RICHARD LEAVER Political and International Studies, Flinders University In December 1990, as American and allied troops massed around the Arabian peninsula in preparation for the liberation of Kuwait, an editorial built around a familiar end-of-empire predicament appeared in that most authoritative of American newspapers, the New York Times. It began thus: A European empire retrenches, leaving a distant dependency to fend for itself. The vulnerable enclave is then invaded and annexed by its powerful neighbour, a major oil exporter with a formidable army and a notorious human rights record. Key words casually scattered around â ânotoriousâ, âformidableâ, âoilâ â subtly drew attention towards the scene of current actions in the Gulf. These clues, however, were just so many exercises in literary deception. The editorial was using Kuwait as a mirror to sharpen focus upon its real concern â the future of Americaâs East Timor policy. Hence, on the fifteenth anniversary of Indonesiaâs invasion of the former Portuguese colony, the editorial concluded by calling upon the President âto condemn what America never should have condoned in the first placeâ.1 Similar exercises using situational isomorphism to inform the direction of policy on Timor would eventually see
Australian Journal of Politics and History – Wiley
Published: Dec 1, 1999
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.