Conflict and Terrorism in Southeast Asia (ASIA90015)

Large-scale internal violent conflicts and jihadi terrorism have been a feature of the security landscape in Southeast Asia in recent decades. These conflicts have spanned insurgencies, political violence, inter-ethnic and inter-religious and inter-religious conflagrations, with the forms of violence including civil wars, mass killings, riots and protracted low-level disturbances. Typically affecting only a small portion of each nation's territory, these conflicts have nevertheless impacted these countries' security more broadly. Jihadi terrorism has also added an extra-regional dimension to these conflicts, through their intersection with conflicts outside Southeast Asia, notably at present including the Syrian conflict and groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and Syam (ISIS). With a focus on Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar, this course will introduce students to the core theoretical approaches employed in the study of violent conflict and terrorism, to enable case study and comparative analysis. The course will also cover responses to contemporary violence and terrorism attempted by governments, international agencies, communities and civil society organisations. Students will become familiar with the strengths and drawbacks of each approach, consider the importance of context to the effectiveness of various interventions, and throughout will question how success is defined and measured.