The Talibanization of Southeast Asia: Losing the War on Terror to Islamist Extremists: Introduction

Behind the Veil of Successful Counterterrorism

Prior to the September 11, 2001 (hereafter the 9/11 Incident), attacks on the United States, governments and security planners in Southeast Asia had already been preoccupied with the threat posed by religious extremism and terrorism. There is a long history of both secular and religious-oriented terrorism in the region. In particular, the region has long been threatened by Jihadists, armed Islamist groups who declared war against various central governments with the goal of either gaining greater political autonomy, as was the case in southern Thailand and the Philippines, or outright secession, as was the case in Aceh, Indonesia.

The Talibanization of Southeast Asia: Losing the War on Terror to Islamist Extremists: Preface

Southeast Asia had been afflicted with the danger of terrorism, long before the United States and the Western world became aware of the threat in the wake of September 11, 2001 (hereafter referred to as the 9/11 Incident), attacks on New York and Washington. Various enduring factors such as historical developments, nature of geography, ethnic-religious makeup, accessibility to external forces, the role of extraneous actors in dominating the politics and economy of the region, and the nature of regimes in the region have entrenched terrorism, particularly associated with religious extremism in the region. This was evident in Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Philippines since the end of the Second World War in 1945.

The Talibanization of Southeast Asia: Losing the War on Terror to Islamist Extremists

Bilveer Singh
Praeger Security International, London, 2007

(Bilveer Singh is Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. A former Fulbright Scholar, he is also the author of nine books, including Succession Politics in Indonesia: The 1998 Presidential Elections and the Fall of Suharto (2000), Defense Relations between Australia and Indonesia in the Post-Cold War Era (2002), and Politics and Government in Singapore: An Introduction (2007))

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Glossary of Key Islamic Terms

Chronology: The Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyyah in Southeast Asia

Introduction: Behind the Veil of Successful Counterterrorism

1. Religious Extremism and Terrorism: A Conceptual Framework
2. Southeast Asia’s Experience with Old and New Islamist Extremism and Jihadism
3. The Rise of Al-Jama’ah Al-Islamiyyah as Southeast Asia’s Leading: Transnational Terrorist Organization
4. Counterterrorism in Southeast Asia: One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward?

Conclusion: Southeast Asia’s Failure in Its War on Terror against Islamist Extremism and the Road Ahead

Appendix 1: General Guidelines on the Struggle of Jama’ah Islamiyyah

Appendix 2: ASEAN Agreements on Combating Terrorism

Appendix 3: ASEAN’s AJAI Operatives Who Have Been Detained, Released, or Killed (as of June 2007)