Many humanitarian interventions have taken place since World War II, with or without United Nations authorization, which were legally justified by the prevention of serious and widespread violations of fundamental human rights. The dramatic events of 1999 in East Timor highlight the urgent need to reflect on the popular debate on the practice of humanitarian intervention. The case of East Timor is not an ordinary example of humanitarian intervention; in fact, some argue that it is not an example at all. This document will contain a critical assessment of the 1999 UN intervention, assessing the legality and success of the international community's involvement. The role that the Australian government played, or rather did not play, in the resulting chaos will be discussed, as will Australian participation in Operation Stabilisize. Speculation about the federal government's ulterior motives for Australian involvement, such as oil and gas reserves, will also be explored. Humanitarian intervention is the use of military force by a state to rescue people in another state suffering from depredations at the hands of their fellow human beings. According to Lee, humanitarian intervention must aim to alleviate human suffering in the target state or prevent human rights violations inflicted on its citizens. Humanitarian intervention is generally considered to occur without the consent of the target state, since consent suggests that there is no need to use force. Customary international law has always recognized military intervention for humanitarian reasons. Classic examples of military humanitarian intervention in the 19th century occurred when Britain intervened in Greece in 1830; Frank...... middle of document ...... Gap between legitimacy and legality of humanitarian intervention: lessons from East Timor and Kosovo'. UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, Vol. 7, 2002. p. 37.• Weiss, T “Research on humanitarian intervention: some lessons”. Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 38, no. 4, 2001, pp. 419 – 428.• Welsh, J Humanitarian intervention and international relations. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2006. • Wheeler N, “Agency, Humanitarianism and Intervention”. International Review of Political Science, Vol. 18, no. 1, 1997, p. 10. • Wheeler, N and Dunne, T “East Timor and the new humanitarian interventionism”. International Affairs, vol. 77, no. 4, 2001, p. 823.• Yoshiko, L “The peacekeeping role of the United Nations in the post-Cold War era: the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 16, no. 245, 1993, p... 245 - 274.