Salafism, the ultra puritan stream of Islam, has evolved very differently in Malaysia than in Indonesia, with more of its leaders seeking political engagement, sometimes to avoid being labelled extremist. Read More
The crackdown following the May 2018 Surabaya bombings will be an occasion for the regrouping of pro-ISIS elements in Indonesia, but support for Islamic State will continue. Read More
Indonesia is facing an infrastructure crunch with unprecedented numbers of terrorist suspects arrested under a newly strengthened anti-terrorism law and not enough maximum security facilities ready to hold them. Read More
The partnership between the Indonesian government and the big social media companies to remove violent content online is improving, but extremists are still finding low tech means around high tech blockages. Read More
The government of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has tried to manage domestic anger over Myanmar’s violence against the Rohingya by a combination of high-level diplomacy and humanitarian aid. Read More
Local elections scheduled for 27 June 2018 across Indonesia include several races in Papua, including for governor and deputy governor, that have raised concerns about possible conflict. While small outbreaks of localised violence may take place, it is st Read More
The Islamist alliance that brought down the Jakarta governor in 2016 has broken up but it has made a major mark on Indonesian politics in two ways. Read More
West Kalimantan’s election for governor on 27 June 2018 will be a contest between candidates divided by religion and ethnicity, exacerbated by the fallout from Jakarta politics, but local observers say the risk of violence is overstated. Read More
Members of a Bandung-based faction of the old Darul Islam movement who joined ISIS might be persuaded to disengage if the Indonesian government can manage their detention wisely. Read More
The Philippine government urgently needs to analyse all information gleaned from custodial debriefings of those arrested in connection with the Marawi siege and earlier pro-ISIS activities so that it can better formulate strategies to counter extremism. Read More
Indonesian President Jokowi has given more personal attention to Papua than any of his predecessors but conflict there – among clans, between indigenous Papuans and migrants, between pro-independence groups and the state – remains high. Read More
The Indonesian government needs to work with overseas labor recruiting agencies and civil society organisations to ensure that migrant workers, particularly women, are not drawn into extremist cells. Read More
Southeast Asian and Bangladeshi extremism are becoming increasingly intertwined, making the traditional distinction between South and Southeast Asia obsolete, at least as far as counter-terrorism is concerned. Read More
A rebuilt, restructured Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) remains a threat, not because it is likely to resume a campaign of violence but because it could give rise to a more militant splinter. Read More
The arrest of two Indonesian women as would-be suicide bombers shows how their desire for action coincided with the decision of ISIS leaders in Syria that in emergency conditions, women could be tactically deployed in jihad operations. Read More
Pro-ISIS extremists continue to recruit and radicalise fellow inmates in Indonesian prisons, while structural problems of the prison system continue to defeat efforts at deradicalisation and disengagement. Read More
Support for ISIS has deepened cooperation among extremists in maritime Southeast Asia, making it more important than ever for law enforcement agencies to have expertise on groups outside their own borders. Read More
A bid by traditionalist clerics in rural Aceh to increase their influence at the expense of urban rivals is drawing the local government into potentially discriminatory definitions of what constitutes “Acehnese” Islam. Read More
More extensive consultation, better maps and a better grievance mechanism could have helped prevent a conflict at a palm oil plantation in Kubu Raya, Read More
Next month will mark the first anniversary of an outbreak of communal violence in Tolikara, a remote district of the Papuan central highlands, that involved indigenous Christians, Muslim migrants and poorly trained security forces. Read More
The convergence of a non-violent hardline campaign against Shi’ism with a new determination of pro-ISIS groups to wage war at home is increasing the possibility of violent attacks on Indonesia’s Shi’a minority Read More
The Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI) continues to press for an expanded role in internal security, driven by distrust of civilian politicians, Read More
Social media usage among Indonesian ISIS supporters is not necessarily changing patterns of recruitment but it is ensuring that ISIS propaganda is reaching new audiences. Read More
Several different groups appear to be deliberately burnishing the image of a former rebel-turned-outlaw in Aceh to draw attention to his criticism of the provincial government, led by senior leaders of the Free Aceh Movement. Read More
The resilience of the pro-independence movement in Papua—now fifty years old--suggests the government should focus on avoiding further radicalisation rather than trying to eradicate it. Read More
“Islamic State” (IS) supporters are a minority among convicted terrorists in Indonesian prisons, and some of those who have sworn allegiance have done so for reasons that have nothing to do with ideology or religion. Read More
We believe that understanding conflict is the first step toward stopping it.
Salafism, the ultra puritan stream of Islam, has evolved very differently in Malaysia than in Indonesia, with more of its leaders seeking political engagement, sometimes to avoid being labelled extremist. Read More
The crackdown following the May 2018 Surabaya bombings will be an occasion for the regrouping of pro-ISIS elements in Indonesia, but support for Islamic State will continue. Read More
Indonesia is facing an infrastructure crunch with unprecedented numbers of terrorist suspects arrested under a newly strengthened anti-terrorism law and not enough maximum security facilities ready to hold them. Read More
The partnership between the Indonesian government and the big social media companies to remove violent content online is improving, but extremists are still finding low tech means around high tech blockages. Read More
Indonesia urgently needs a strategy for assessing, monitoring and where possible reintegrating its citizens who tried to join Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) but were caught and sent back before they could do so. Read More
The government of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has tried to manage domestic anger over Myanmar’s violence against the Rohingya by a combination of high-level diplomacy and humanitarian aid. Read More
Local elections scheduled for 27 June 2018 across Indonesia include several races in Papua, including for governor and deputy governor, that have raised concerns about possible conflict. While small outbreaks of localised violence may take place, it is st Read More