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Since 9/11 many books have been published on Islamic terrorism, but few of these have considered the issue from the perspective of strategic studies or in terms of an “insurgency.” As a result, much of this literature ignores the process of radicalisation and fails to ascertain why some people turn to terrorism, while others from the same background do not. To counter this trend, Explaining Islamist Insurgencies explains how and why the process of Islamist radicalisation is an important step towards acts of terrorism and in the formation of terrorist organisations by focusing on Poso, a small town in Indonesia that experienced years of armed sectarian conflict between Muslim and Chrisitian communities in 2000–2007. Building on the frameworks provided by previous studies, Muhammed Tito Karnavian employs communications theory to explore the necessary precursors for the legitimising ideology, in this case Salafi-jihadism, to be effectively disseminated.With nearly 20 years of experience in academia and counter-terrorism operations in Indonesia, and as the current Chief of Papua Police, Karnavian employs his unparalleled access to information and individuals to delineate the various stages of the radicalisation of the Poso conflict and how radical organisations, such as al-Jamaah al-Islamiyyah (JI), came to be involved. This unique first-hand account of a counter-terrorist operation concludes by offering general policy implications that will be of use to both academics and practitioners.Contents:IntroductionAl-Jamaah al-Islamiyyah: From Insurgency to TerrorismViolence in Poso: From Armed Sectarian Conflict to Terrorism, 1998–2007First Causal Factor: Disaffected PersonsSecond Causal Factor: Enabling GroupThird Causal Factor: Legitimising IdeologyThe Radicalisation Process of Muslims in PosoConclusion and Policy ImplicationsAppendix: Figures and TablesGlossaryBibliographyIndexReadership: Students, academics and practitioners of strategic studies, counter-terrorism studies and conflict studies.

We live in a world populated not just by individuals but by figures, those larger-than-life people who in some way express and challenge our conventional understandings of social types. This innovative and collaborative work takes up the wide range of figures that populate the social and cultural imaginaries of contemporary Southeast Asia—some familiar only in specific places, others recognizable across the region and even globally. It puts forward a series of ethnographic portraits of figures that represent and give voice to something larger than themselves, offering a view into social life that is at once highly particular and general. They include the Muslim Television Preacher in Indonesia, Miss Beer Lao, the Rural DJ in Thailand, the Korean Soap Opera Junkie in Burma, the Filipino Seaman, and the Photo Retoucher in Vietnam.Figures of Southeast Asian Modernity brings together the fieldwork of over eighty scholars and covers the nine major countries of the region: Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. An introduction outlines important social transformations in Southeast Asia and key theoretical and methodological innovations that result from ethnographic attention to the study of key figures. Each section begins with an introduction by a country editor followed by short essays offering vivid and intimate portraits set against the background of contemporary Southeast Asia. The result is a volume that combines scholarly rigor with a meaningful, up-to-date portrayal of a region of the world undergoing rapid change. A reference bibliography offers suggestions for further reading.Figures of Southeast Asia Modernity is an ideal teaching tool for introductory classes to Southeast Asia studies, anthropology, and geography.3 illus.

Aceh during the 2004 tsunami was a war-zone, with Indonesia's military engaged in a major operation to crush a separatist rebellion that had been simmering since 1976. Even though the funds had been donated for tsunami relief, any real reconstruction of Aceh had to consider the impact of the conflict on the well-being of the population, as well as governance and administrative capacities.

Chiang Mai (literally, “new city”) suffered badly in the 1997 Asian financial crisis as the Northern Thai real estate bubble collapsed along with the Thai baht, crushing dreams of a renaissance of Northern prosperity. Years later, the ruins of the excesses of the 1990s still stain the skyline. In Ghosts of the New City, Andrew Alan Johnson shows how the trauma of the crash, brought back vividly by the political crisis of 2006, haunts efforts to remake the city. For many Chiang Mai residents, new developments harbor the seeds of the crash, which manifest themselves in anxious stories of ghosts and criminals who conceal themselves behind the city's progressive veneer. Hopes for rebirth and fears of decline have their roots in Thai conceptions of progress, which draw from Buddhist and animist ideas of power and sacrality. Cities, Johnson argues, were centers where the charismatic power of kings and animist spirits were grounded; these entities assured progress by imbuing the space with sacred power that would avert disaster. Johnson traces such magico-religious conceptions of potency and space from historical records through present-day popular religious practice and draws parallels between these and secular attempts at urban revitalization. Through a detailed ethnography of the contested ways in which academics, urban activists, spirit mediums, and architects seek to revitalize the flagging economy and infrastructure of Chiang Mai, Johnson finds that alongside the hope for progress there exists a discourse about urban ghosts, deadly construction sites, and the lurking anxiety of another possible crash, a discourse that calls into question history's upward trajectory. In this way, Ghosts of the New City draws new connections between urban history and popular religion that have implications far beyond Southeast Asia.

This multidisciplinary volume articulates the current and potential public policy discourse between energy security and climate change in the Asia-?Pacific region, and the efforts taken to address global warming. This volume is unique as it analyses two important issues climate change and energy security through the lens of geopolitics at the intersection of energy security. It elaborates on the current and potential steps taken by state and non-?state actors, as well as the policy innovations and diplomatic efforts (bilateral and multilateral, including regional) that states are pursuing. This Brief stems from the assumption that its audience is aware of the consequences of climate change, and will therefore, only look at the issues identified. It provides a useful read and reference for a wide-?range of scholars, policy?makers, researchers and post-?graduate students.

In the popular imagination, opposition to the Vietnam War was driven largely by college students and elite intellectuals, while supposedly reactionary blue-collar workers largely supported the war effort. In Hardhats, Hippies, and Hawks, Penny Lewis challenges this collective memory of class polarization. Through close readings of archival documents, popular culture, and media accounts at the time, she offers a more accurate'counter-memory'of a diverse, cross-class opposition to the war in Southeast Asia that included the labor movement, working-class students, soldiers and veterans, and Black Power, civil rights, and Chicano activists.Lewis investigates why the image of antiwar class division gained such traction at the time and has maintained such a hold on popular memory since. Identifying the primarily middle-class culture of the early antiwar movement, she traces how the class interests of its first organizers were reflected in its subsequent forms. The founding narratives of class-based political behavior, Lewis shows, were amplified in the late 1960s and early 1970s because the working class, in particular, lacked a voice in the public sphere, a problem that only increased in the subsequent period, even as working-class opposition to the war grew. By exposing as false the popular image of conservative workers and liberal elites separated by an unbridgeable gulf, Lewis suggests that shared political attitudes and actions are, in fact, possible between these two groups.

Mages of Manhood focuses on three gay paradises in Southeast Asia and the men who created them. It examines a manhood of savoring that challenges the male contests often inspired by nationalism and imperialism. It is also studies the obstacles gay men have faced in securing a voice as citizens.

A collection of thirteen chapters by leading scholars in the field, this book examines the complex ways in which the spread of Christianity by French men and women shaped local communities, French national prowess, and global politics in the two centuries following the French Revolution. More than a story of religious proselytism, missionary activity was an essential feature of French contact and interaction with local populations. In many parts of the world, missionaries were the first French men and women to work and live among indigenous societies. For all the celebration of France’s secular “civilizing mission,” it was more often than not religious workers who actually fulfilled the daily tasks of running schools, hospitals, and orphanages. While their work was often tied to small villages, missionaries’ interactions had geopolitical implications. Focusing on many regions—from the Ottoman Empire and the United States to Indochina and the Pacific Ocean—this book explores how France used missionaries’ long connections with local communities as a means of political influence and justification for colonial expansion. This book offers readers both an overview of the major historical dimensions of the French evangelical enterprise, as well as an introduction to the theoretical and methodological challenges of placing French missionary work within the context of European, colonial, and religious history

Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world after China, India and the United States. It is also the world's largest Muslim majority country and the third largest democracy. Its economy is currently the 10th largest on the global scale. Indonesia is recognized as an emerging power, and a respected member of the international community. It plays an important role not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also in the world at large.Indonesia has defied the grim predictions about its imminent collapse following the ouster of Suharto in 1998. Its ability to rebuild and reinvigorate itself into its current status is one of the most impressive stories of the late 20th and early 21st century. Its journey since the fall of Suharto is inspiring at a time when the world has seen many failing nations, recurring economic crises, and growing radicalism and terrorism. Yet, the Indonesian story receives far less attention than the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).The Indonesian story suggests a different pathway to emerging power status. This pathway is based not so much on military or economic resources. Rather, it lies in the ability of a country to develop a positive, virtuous correlation among three factors: democracy, development and stability, while pursuing a foreign policy of restraint towards neighbours and active engagement with the world at large.This is the key lesson from the story of Indonesia that this book seeks to present. It analyses Indonesia's foreign policy and international role under the democratic regime, with particular focus on its role as a leader of ASEAN, its relationship with the major powers of the Asia Pacific, and its place in the global order of the 21st century.Contents:Why Indonesia Matters?Democracy, Development and Stability: Creating a Virtuous CycleIndonesia and the Regional ArchitectureIndonesia and the Major PowersIndonesia as a Global ActorA Nation on the Move: Indonesian VoicesReadership: General public, students, policy makers, and think tanks intellectuals.

"" Thee Kian Wie was one of Indonesia's most respected and most prominent economic historians. His recent passing is a great loss for Indonesia and its younger economists, many of whom refer to Thee as a role model. This book gathers together 14 of Thee's published papers that were scattered elsewhere, making it a valuable collection for readers seeking to understand the chronology and dynamics of Indonesia's economic development since the 1940s.