NCJ Number
197995
Journal
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism Volume: 25 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2002 Pages: 343-356
Date Published
November 2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article describes militant Islamic threats in Southeast Asia and its implications for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Abstract
Southeast Asia represents one of the neglected theaters of instability and terror networking during the 1990's. There is unexamined development of a militant Islamic threat from the 1990's onward in this region. The challenge militant Islam represents to stability and security in Pacific Asia is more potent than any asymmetrical threat Al Qaeda may pose to the West. Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia are the founding members of ASEAN, which had generated economic growth and regional stability among its members in the 1990's. The Association failed to react to the economic crisis of 1997, which led to economic and political fallout. As a result, Al Qaeda has a foothold in Southeast Asia. ASEAN has a history of ignoring the causes of inter-state disputes among its members. Meanwhile, Indonesia plays host to rising Islamic militancy and Islamism has increased its appeal to a new generation of educated Muslims in Malaysia, Pattani, and Mindanao. ASEAN sought to internalize civil and political Islam into its official philosophy of harmoniously blended and shared values. This understanding obscured a series of contradictions that have become apparent since the economic crisis of 1997. By ignoring the underlying religiously motivated tensions within its membership, the Association has succeeded in incubating it potential nemesis. ASEAN is now paying for its neglect, moving from the period of post-Konfrontasi hubris in 1967 to 1997 into a new era of Disintegrasi. 80 notes