The West Papua conflict in Indonesia

Indonesia today faces its most fundamental challenges since 1966. After the introduction of western-style democracy and far reaching decentralization, 'unity in diversity' is challenged by a number of factors with the independence movements being the most felt presence. In the case of Papua, many of these factors together form a picture of interwoven threads of conflict. For the outsider as well as for the actors themselves, it is often difficult to understand the motives, interests of and relations between the involved parties. Esther Heidbüchel manages to analyse the different levels of the Papuan conflict in a clear and comprehensive way. Her structured analysis is based on extensive field studies and on interviews with representatives of all major conflict parties. The results are summarized in a conflict matrix with special attention given to the respective perceptions and their impact on possible solution concepts. Different strategies for confl ict resolution are analysed for their feasibilty and sustainability.