Mathoms, etc.

I remember reading about the brutality and violence of Indonesian rule in East Timor. It was good news when East Timor became a democracy. It remains one of the poorest countries in the world and unfortunately is now under a state of emergency after a coup attempt. Thank goodness the attempts on the lives of President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao were unsuccessful. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning President is in extremely serious but stable condition.
I will never understand these power grabs. Don't these power-hungry renegade soldiers realize that they're only further destabilizing their country? How can they get their countrymen to believe that they have their best interests at heart? Doesn't violence beget violence? Yes, it's all birthing pains folks will say. Can't people find an epidural?