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

The battle for Marawi in the southern Philippines is likely to have long-term repercussions for extremism in Southeast Asia. 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

An anti-vice vigilante group in Solo, Central Java has become the go-to source of recruits for one Indonesian ISIS leader in Syria. 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

Competition among Indonesian ISIS leaders is increasing the risk of more violence. 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