Tan, YelingHogenauer, Brooks2024-08-302024-08-302024https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2994276 pagesThis thesis compares the independence movements of West Papua with East Timor and Aceh due to their divergent outcomes. West Papua is the easternmost piece of territory under Indonesian rule and boasts one of the most valuable mines on earth. By evaluating these movements and regions through three main factors: prevalence of resource extractive industries, level of international support, and transmigration practices; my thesis attempts to explain the relative failure of West Papua’s independence movement while East Timor and Aceh’s succeeded. By conducting thorough literature review, I make historical and institutional arguments centering on the important differences and similarities between these movements. Much research has been conducted on the independence movements of Aceh, East Timor, and West Papua, but scholarly material comparing the independence movements is minimal. It is important to compare these movements so we can understand the factors that harm independence movements against repressive governments as well as the elements that allow them to be successful. I find that established transmigration practices and extractive industries greatly impair independence movements, while international support can benefit a movement greatly. These findings suggest that Indonesia had a far greater interest in upholding their rule in West Papua compared to East Timor and Aceh, resulting in their current conditions.en-USCC BY-NC-ND 4.0IndependenceMovementsComparativeWest PapuaResource ExtractionThesis/Dissertation