Mainly terrorism in Indonesia: catch all

[omarali50]

Its a good PR effort, and who knows, it may even work. But anyone with any knowledge of history will find it hard to stay on message with a straight face. Javanese Islam is more eclectic than the rest, but at both the Eastern and Western ends, much more "traditional" Islam did indeed find it possible to survive and even thrive. The problem with this approach (to cover up actual history with platitudes like Yenni's "five principles") is that they are liable to exposure and lack depth or staying power.
On the other hand, maybe that is just because some of us (luckily, very few of us) are incorrigible pessimists and cynics or far too pedantic about history for our own good... Maybe (and I sincerely hope this is the case) a mildly hedonistic consumer culture can build a new "moderate" and tolerant national identity out of scattered bits of Javanese multicultralism and big dollops of modern state-sponsored "messaging" (aka propaganda).
I am not being facetious. I really really do hope this can work. The alternatives are all far more unpleasant.

[davidbfpo]

A developing situation after a bomb and gun attack, possibly mobile. Six dead, including three police officers.

Rolling news coverage:http://www.theguardian.com/world/liv...rolling-report and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-35309116

[omarali50]

My simple two-variant model of susceptibility to Jihadist terrorism would have predicted this.
Indonesia, modest Sunni-shariahist affiliation plus modestly dysfunctional state = higher risk than more shariahist but also more competent/harsh/oppressive Malaysia.

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to Atlantic magazine for this article, which is a review of a book on far wider issues. So back to Indonesia:

The big truth is that Indonesia has come close to effectively eliminating the threat of extremist violence

(He ends with) The big truth is that Indonesia has come close to effectively eliminating the threat of extremist violence,” Tepperman writes. An alternative truth is that Indonesia, through complicated and controversial means, has, for the moment, significantly reduced the threat of extremist violence from terrorists. It’s certainly an achievement, but it’s one that lies somewhere between a stopgap and a solution.

Link:http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...orism/500951/?

[davidbfpo]

A WaPo article and the theme is familiar to observers:

Indonesia’s overcrowded prisons are ill-equipped to deal with Islamic militant inmates, hampering efforts to prevent the spread of violent radicalism in institutions that have become known as jihadist breeding grounds, a study has found.

Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/study-extremists-still-flourishing-in-indonesias-prisons/2018/02/09/1cc7b94a-0d5d-11e8-998c-96deb18cca19_story.html?

[davidbfpo]

A short overview article. A sample passage:

The attack exposed the lingering threat from homegrown militants in a country that has largely avoided the scourge of Islamist terrorism since the collapse of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in the late 2000s. In the years since, several newly-formed groups along with JI’s offshoots have remained active beneath the radar, posing only a latent threat to security in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Link:https://www.asiasentinel.com/society...nts-re-emerge/

[davidbfpo]

After what appears to have been a lull in Islamist violence an Australian author @ Lowy Institute offers an explanation. He starts with:

Indonesia has again exploded in a paroxysm of terrorist violence, but with a new twist: family suicide bombers. This may be the first time in the world that parents took their children on a family outing to blow themselves up.
(Ends with) If three families can be involved in two days’ worth of terrorist attacks in Surabaya, surely there are more ready to act.

Link:https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-in...nd-isis-family