WHEN a neighboring country’s head of state blundered by making accusations at the wrong people, a well-known figure was sent to soothe some ruffled feathers. That person was Xanana Gusmao of Timor Leste, which won its independence in 2002 and today faces a difficult challenge: an assassination attempt on the nation’s president and prime minister.

Indonesia is well aware of the accusations, and came to its own conclusions. People noticed the