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This is an important and worthwhile book that should be read by anyone seeking to understand the history and evolution of political violence in Southeast Asia, including the origins of contemporary militant Islamist terrorism. Paul J. Smith, Contemporary Southeast Asia This very fine collection shows how and why Southeast Asia has been afflicted with terrorism from the end of World War II to the present time. No other volume tells us as much about the period and area. Anyone interested in the general theory and practice of terrorism and insurgency will find it indispensable. David C. Rapoport, University of California, Los Angeles, US and Editor of Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence...
On the evening of 12 October 2002 two suicide bombers detonated bombs inside Paddy's Pub and in front of the Sari Club in Kuta, one of Bali's main tourist districts. Two hundred and two people were killed including eighty-eight Australians and thirty-eight Indonesians. The 'field coordinator' of this terrorist operation was the Bantenese Abdul Aziz alias Imam Samudra, who was later executed for his role in the attacks. Imam Samudra's Revenge examines why Samudra bombed nightclubs in Bali paying due regard to the social and political context provided by both his experiences as a youthful member of the Darul Islam movement in Indonesia and Pakistan, and the outbreak of religious violence in Indonesia from 1999. Yet these same factors also influenced his colleagues within the extremist Islamist group Jema'ah Islamiyah, and they strongly disapproved of his actions in Bali. Therefore, it is also important to consider Samudra's personality; and, more particularly, his proneness to humiliation which led him via the vengeful ideology of global jihadism to embrace terrorism in Bali.
This book critically analyses the specific threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia since the Bali blasts of 12 October 2002 and the US-led war on Iraq. It offers a comprehensive and critical examination of the ideological, socioeconomic and political motivations, trans-regional linkages, and media representations of the terrorist threat in the region, assesses the efficacy of the regional counter-terror response and suggests a more balanced and nuanced approach to combating the terror threat in Southeast Asia. The contributors include leading scholars of political Islam in the region, renowned terrorism and regional security analysts, as well as highly regarded regional journalists and commentators. This represents a formidable and unequalled combination of expertise.
The increased ability of clandestine groups to operate with little regard for borders or geography is often taken to be one of the dark consequences of a brave new globalized world. Yet even for terrorists and smugglers, the world is not flat; states exert formidable control over the technologies of globalization, and difficult terrain poses many of the same problems today as it has throughout human history. In No Man's Land, Justin V. Hastings examines the complex relationship that illicit groups have with modern technology—and how and when geography still matters. Based on often difficult fieldwork in Southeast Asia, Hastings traces the logistics networks, command and control structures,...
Tourism in Southeast Asia provides an up-to-date exploration of the state of tourism development and associated issues in one of the world's most dynamic tourism destinations. The volume takes a close look at many of the challenges facing Southeast Asian tourism at a critical stage of transition and transformation and following a recent series of crises and disasters. Building on and advancing the path-breaking Tourism in South-East Asia, produced by the same editors in 1993, it adopts a multidisciplinary approach and includes contributions from some of the leading researchers on tourism in Southeast Asia, presenting a number of fresh perspectives.
"Suicide terror has become a fundamental strategic weapon in the confrontation between Fundamentalist Islam and its adversaries and now constitutes a threat to world welfare and security. The Shahids proposes that the nature of this terror changed after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11. In this first book to be published on the subject, the author offers both an interpretation and an overall picture of a worldwide phenomenon that is not yet fully recognized, even in Israel, which remains a central arena for the perpetration of suicide attacks by terror organizations.The Shahids analyzes the general phenomenon of Islamic suicide attacks, and provides the reader with tools...
The twentieth century was a fascinating period of profound political, social and economic changes in Indonesia. These changes contributed to the diversification of the religious landscape and as a result, religious authority was redistributed over an increasing number of actors. Although many Muslims in Indonesia continued to regard the ulama, the traditional religious scholars, as the principle source of religious guidance, religious authority has become more diffused and differentiated over time. The present book consists of contributions which all deal with the multi-facetted and multidimensional topic of religious authority and aim to complement each other. Most papers deal with Indonesia, but two dealing with other countries have been included in order to add a comparative dimension. Amongst the topics dealt with are the different and changing roles of the ulama, the rise and role of Muslim organizations, developments within Islamic education, like the madrasa, and the spread of Salafi ideas in contemporary Indonesia.
"The fortieth anniversary of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre's founding provided the opportunity to assemble many of Australia's leading analysts and commentators to review some of the more significant issues that should define Australian defence policy. ... The papers collected in this volume are not informed by a common view of where Australia should focus its defence policy, but all address themes that should figure prominently in this difficult but essential task"--Provided by publisher.
Since 9/11 many books have been published on Islamic terrorism, but few of these have considered the issue from the perspective of strategic studies or in terms of an “insurgency.” As a result, much of this literature ignores the process of radicalisation and fails to ascertain why some people turn to terrorism, while others from the same background do not. To counter this trend, Explaining Islamist Insurgencies explains how and why the process of Islamist radicalisation is an important step towards acts of terrorism and in the formation of terrorist organisations by focusing on Poso, a small town in Indonesia that experienced years of armed sectarian conflict between Muslim and Chrisiti...
This book is with a contemporary focus. Author, Dr. Max Gross’s purpose is to use history to explain today’s Islamic insurgencies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines and to offer perspectives for the future. Muslim Archipalego’s unique contribution is that it brings together in one reference a mass of information on the insurgencies in Southeast Asia. The country accounts are detailed and thorough as to events, organizations, dates, and participants. The chronological context provides Dr. Gross the opportunity to give insights about historical casualty. His accounting highlights the interaction of the insurgencies within Southeast Asia and their international connection outside the region. The detailed presentations in the chapters on Indonesia and Philippines are especially fruitful. Included in this nearly 280 page book are detailed four-color regional maps, charts, and historical photos spread throughout the text. An extensive bibliography and index are included.