Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific
Valentine’s Day Bombings in the Philippines
The noose may be tightening on Islamist militant rebels on Jolo island, but the rebellion clearly still has teeth, judging from a spate of attacks claimed by the Abu Sayyaf group on February 14. Bombs within one hour of each other exploded in crowded areas... MORE
Bangladesh’s Conducive Conditions for Extremism
While Bangladesh government spokesmen dismiss the notion of the presence of international Islamist militants in the country, and intelligence agents attempt to identify the local sources of a New York Times article in January that depicted ripe conditions for the "next Islamist revolution", events in... MORE
The State of Jemaah Islamiya and the Future of Terrorism in Southeast Asia
The war on terror has continued apace in Southeast Asia, and the governments in the region and their Western counterparts deserve credit for the arrests of some 250 Jemaah Islamiya (JI) members through December 2003. Several of the members of JI's regional shura, its leadership... MORE
Indonesia and the Global War on Terrorism: Jakarta’s Mediocre Response to Terror
In October of 2002 the worst international terrorist incident since the September 11 suicide strikes in Washington and New York took place on the island of Bali. It involved a series of coordinated explosions in a popular tourist nightspot district that collectively killed 202 people,... MORE
Chinese Foreign Policy and the War On Terror
Beijing has several global security concerns regarding terrorism. Foremost among these are China's relations with the United States, and since September 2001, the U.S.-led War on Terrorism. Beijing is also worried about the Islamic/Arab World, especially in working to ensure China's supply of oil and... MORE
Gauging Jemaah Islamiyah’s Threat in Southeast Asia
Modern Islamic militancy emerged in Indonesia during the late 1940s and the early 1950s. Darul Islam (Abode of Islam), a radical Islamist group whose vision was to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia, revolted in West Java in the 1950s. The rebellion was crushed, and... MORE
Peace Talks Amid Renewed Violence in the Philippines
Talks which began on April 18 between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are being flagged as a ‘breakthrough' in the eight-year bid to put an end to decades of guerrilla warfare in the southern Philippines, but are coming at a... MORE
Hambali’s Capture: How Significant For The War On Terror?
August's capture of Riduan Isamuddin in Thailand has been hailed as a major advance in the war on terror in Southeast Asia. Otherwise known as "Hambali," this well-publicized figure in the extremist transnational Islamic network has been variously implicated in the 9/11 strikes in New... MORE
Indonesia: Southeast Asia’s Emergent Front For Transnational
August's bombing of the U.S.-owned Marriott Hotel in Jakarta has once again thrust Indonesia into the spotlight as an emergent territorial front for anti-Western transnational Islamic extremism. The attack, which killed dozens and injured over 100, exhibited strong similarities to last year's atrocity in Bali--the... MORE