In Coercive Reconciliation, prominent Aboriginal leaders, experienced academics and social commentators provide a devastating critique of the Howard government's recent draconian intervention into Indigenous communities in the N.T. from the perspective of human rights, alcohol and health policy, welfare and land rights reforms, Indigenous representation and reconciliation, and the recognition of cultural diversity. The book's consensus is that intervention will only succeed if it engages with the concerns and aspirations of Aboriginal people themselves; and affords them the dignity and power to be the key players in addressing social problems and charting sustainable futures for their communities.