CSIS, 30 Jun 09: Conflict, Community, and Criminality in Southeast Asia and Australia: Assessments From the Field

A collection of essays with a foreword by Marc Sageman.
....In Southeast Asia, as in the rest of the world, it would be naïve to believe that terrorism can be defeated. It is and will remain a tactic of the weak against their government, and Southeast Asia has seen its share throughout modern history. However, the appeal of Islam is fading in some theaters but gaining strength in a few others due to local reasons. In the future, terrorism in Southeast Asia may still be waged in the name of new concepts. The key to holding it in check is to not overreact, punish only the criminals directly involved in violence, and encourage young people that might be attracted to violent ideology to pursue their political activism in a more effective and lawful way.
Essays include:

  • Radical Islam in the Middle East and Southeast Asia: A Comparison

  • The Middle East, Islamism, and Indonesia: Pull versus Push Factors

  • Jemaah Islamiyah and New Splinter Groups

  • Can Indonesian Democracy Tame Radical Islamism?

  • The Role of Radical Madrasahs in Terrorism: The Indonesian Case

  • Communal Violence in Indonesia and the Role of Foreign and Domestic Networks

  • Radical Islam in Malaysia

  • Governmental Responses to Extremism in Southeast Asia: “Hard” versus “Soft” Approaches

  • The Malayu Insurgency in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces

  • “A Carnival of Crime”: The Enigma of the Abu Sayyaf

  • Will the Conflict in Mindanao Look Like the Insurgency in Southern Thailand?

  • Little-known Muslim Communities and Concerns in Cambodia, Burma, and Northern Thailand

  • Assessment of Criminal Threats Emanating from Burma

  • The Extremist Threat in Australia

  • Muslim Alienation in Australia: Europe Down Under?

  • Jihadi Ideology: An Overview