More than 11 years after the 9/11 attacks and 10 years after the October 2002 Bali bombings, the need for a comprehensive assessment of what the countries in Southeast Asia have achieved is overdue. We need to consider whether the strategies against both the domestic and transnational terrorist and extremist threat have been appropriate and have yielded desired results. The aim of this book is to make a comprehensive assessment of the threats of terrorism and extremism in the region and of the policies and practices adopted by the regional countries to counter the same. It is also necessary to evaluate if the region has become a safer place after the decade-long fight. Most importantly, it is time to ask if we need a rethink or develop a new strategy to contain and manage the threats of terrorism and extremism.

Maritime piracy continues to persist as a significant phenomenon manifesting a range of social, historical, geo-political, security and economic issues. Today, the waters of Southeast Asia serve as the dominant region for the occurrence of piracy and the challenges it poses to regional security and Malacca Straits security. As a second installment within the Series on Maritime Issues and Piracy in Asia by the International Institute of Asian Studies, Leiden University, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the authors of this volume add fresh perspectives to the ongoing debate about piracy, the threat of maritime terrorism, and the challenge of securing the Malacca Straits today.

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.

Maria A Ressa has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal ( High-Profile Journalist Reshapes Her Role in Terrorism Fight )The two most wanted terrorists in Southeast Asia OCo a Malaysian and a Singaporean OCo are on the run in the Philippines, but they manage to keep their friends and family updated on Facebook. Filipinos connect with al-Qaeda-linked groups in Somalia and Yemen. The black flag OCo embedded in al-Qaeda lore OCo pops up on websites and Facebook pages from around the world, including the Philippines, Indonesia, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Australia, and North Africa. The black flag is believed to herald an apocalypse that brings Islam's triumph. These are a few of the signs that define terrorism's new battleground: the Internet and social media.In this groundbreaking work of investigative journalism, Maria Ressa traces the spread of terrorism from the training camps of Afghanistan to Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Through research done at the International Center for Political Violence & Terrorism Research in Singapore and sociograms created by the CORE Lab at the Naval Postgraduate School, the book examines the social networks which spread the virulent ideology that powered terrorist attacks in the past 10 years.Many of the stories here have never been told before, including details about the 10 days during which Ressa led the crisis team in the Ces Drilon kidnapping case by the Abu Sayyaf in 2008. The book forms the powerful narrative that glues together the social networks OCo both physical and virtual OCo which spread the jihadi virus from bin Laden to Facebook.

"This handbook explains the rise of terrorist groups in the Asia-Pacific region, among them ethno-nationalist groups, jihadi groups, as well as Islamic-State provinces. Government responses to these threats vary, but a common thread is the lack of preparation for terrorists' use of cyber tools to recruit operatives and organize attacks. Co-edited by one of the world's most knowledgeable experts on terrorism, Professor Rohan Gunaratna, this book is a must read for anyone interested in the growing threat of terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region." Jessica Stern Author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill and co-author of ISIS: the State of Terror "The threat posed by the Islamic State to our region is unprecedented! The Handbook of Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific is a must read to understand the threat and craft a response." Dato Ayob Khan Head, Counter-Terrorism, Malaysia "Terrorism is a global threat, as this useful and timely Handbook reveals, showing that every country in the Asia-Pacific region faces some form of potentially violent political, ethnic and religious extremism. The Handbook is both comprehensive and authoritative, relying on the expertise of Asia's finest centre of terrorism research. It is invaluable -- a country-by-country resource for business, government, journalism, and the concerned public -- and will be the go-to reference for years to come." Professor Mark Juergensmeyer Author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence "The handbook is an invaluable compendium for students of terrorism in the Asia-Pacific region over the past 70 years. It describes the nature and aspirations of the groups seeking to use force against both legitimate governments and innocent civilian populations, and analyses the responses of governments around the region. It will prove an essential companion for counter-terrorism experts across the region, providing accurate context against which they can understand and deal with the problem of terrorism on both a national and a cooperative regional basis. Its authors and contributors are to be commended for their comprehensive and intelligent contribution." Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism The Handbook of Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific provides a historical overview of terrorism in the Asia-Pacific, the evolution of threat, and the present threat faced by countries with the rise of the Islamic State (IS). This is a concise and readable handbook which examines the origins of the current wave of terrorism across countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Northeast Asia and the Pacific, and identifies emerging trends and new forms of terror that have altered the landscape and rendered the region increasingly vulnerable to asymmetric attacks. Comprising of more than 20 chapters, this handbook will be a useful source of reference for undergraduate and graduate students focused on understanding the causes of terrorism and insurgency in the Asia-Pacific.

The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies provides a detailed exploration of security dynamics in the three distinct subregions that comprise Asia, and also bridges the study of these regions by exploring the geopolitical links between each of them. The Handbook is divided into four geographical parts: Part I: Northeast Asia Part II: South Asia Part III: Southeast Asia Part IV: Cross-regional Issues This fully revised and updated second edition addresses the significant developments which have taken place in Asia since the first edition appeared in 2009. It examines these developments at both regional and national levels, including the conflict surrounding the South China Sea, the long-standing Sino-Indian border dispute, and Pakistan’s investment in tactical nuclear weapons, amongst many others. This book will be of great interest to students of Asian politics, security studies, war and conflict studies, foreign policy and international relations generally.

This handbook presents a comprehensive survey of the formation and transformation of nationalism in 15 East and Southeast Asian countries. Written by a team of international scholars from different backgrounds and disciplines, this volume offers new perspectives on studying Asian history, society, culture, and politics, and provides readers with a unique lens through which to better contextualise and understand the relationships between countries within East and Southeast Asia, and between Asia and the world. It highlights the latest developments in the field and contributes to our knowledge and understanding of nationalism and nation building. Comprehensive and clearly written, this book examines a diverse set of topics that include theoretical considerations on nationalism and internationalism; the formation of nationalism and national identity in the colonial and postcolonial eras; the relationships between traditional culture, religion, ethnicity, education, gender, technology, sport, and nationalism; the influence of popular culture on nationalism; and politics, policy, and national identity. It illustrates how nationalism helped to draw the borders between the nations of East and Southeast Asia, and how it is re-emerging in the twenty-first century to shape the region and the world into the future. The Routledge Handbook of Nationalism in East and Southeast Asia is essential reading for those interested in and studying Asian history, Social and Cultural history, and modern history.