Talking ASEAN on Countering ISIS in Southeast Asia 18 February 2016 Countering ISIS in Southeast Asia : ASEAN s Efforts at the Regional Level by Ibrahim Almuttaqi
Countering ISIS in Southeast Asia: ASEAN s Efforts at the Regional Level A Ibrahim Almuttaqi The Habibie Center 18 February 2016
Key Questions What threat is posed by the growing presence of ISIS in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general? What is the regional capacity to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats? What are the regional challenges and opportunities to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats?
Main Arguments The Southeast Asian region has faced the threat of terrorism for many years. The growing presence of ISIS is simply a continuation of previous terrorist threat to the region. ASEAN as a regional organization has made a number of efforts to counter such terrorist threats. However many challenges remain, which limit what ASEAN can actually do at the regional level to counter such terrorist threat.
Growing presence of ISIS a new threat? Over the past year ISIS has emerged as a major threat to the ASEAN region Jakarta attack, January 14, 2016; Significant number of ISIS recruits from the region fighting in Iraq and Syria; Calls for a distant caliphate to be established in Southeast Asia.
Growing presence of ISIS a new threat? Jakarta attack, January 14, 2016; Five blasts and an ensuing gun-battle left 4 civilians killed and dozens injured; Most serious terrorist attack in Indonesia for years; ISIS later claimed responsibility A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta - ISIS
ISIS recruits from the region fighting in Iraq and Syria; Over 514 Indonesians (as of March 2015); At least 50 Malaysians (as of December 2014) ; Even several from Cambodia; A number of Islamist groups in Southeast Asia have pledged allegiance to the ISIS including the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines. Growing presence of ISIS a new threat?
A distant caliphate in Southeast Asia; Competition between extremists in Indonesia and the Philippines to be the centre of the distant caliphate ; Rohan Gunaratna, RSIS, Singapore warned: Shortly, ISIS will declare a satellite of the caliphate in the Sulu archipelago ; Australia s Attorney General warned: Isis has a declared intention to establish caliphates beyond the Middle East, provincial caliphates in effect. It has identified Indonesia as a location of its ambitions. Growing presence of ISIS a new threat?
Growing presence of ISIS a new threat? Despite the growing presence of ISIS, Southeast Asia is no stranger to acts of terrorism Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005 and the Jakarta bombing of 2003, 2004 and 2009; In the Philippines, the terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf, have been responsible for kidnapping and in some cases beheading dozens of innocent civilians; In Thailand, the insurgency in the southern region of Patani has led to the deaths of over 3,500 civilians since 2004; ASEAN Declaration on Transnational Crime 1997 ASEAN resolved to expand the scope of Member Countries' efforts against transnational crime such as terrorism ; Four years before the September 11 Attacks; Shows clearly the concern of ASEAN towards combating terrorism, even before the term had become popular following the US War on Terror.
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats Building on from the 1997 Declaration, ASEAN member-states have made a number of efforts to counter terrorism within the framework of ASEAN. 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism 2002 Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism 2002 ASEAN Declaration on Terrorism 2007 ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism 2014 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Statement on the Rise of Violence and Brutality Committed by Terrorist/Extremist Organizations in Iraq and Syria 2015 Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Rise of Radicalization and Violent Extremism 2016 2016 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Statement on the Terrorist Attack in Jakarta
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism; issued just months following the September 11 th attack to Unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms the horrifying terrorist attacks and consider such acts as an attack against humanity and an assault on all of us ; Declaration put forward nine practical measures including to deepen cooperation among our front-line law enforcement agencies in combating terrorism and sharing "best practices" as well as to enhance information/intelligence exchange ; Disappointingly many of the practical measures were limited to promises to review and strengthen, to study, and to discuss and explore leading some to question the effectiveness of the Declaration.
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats 2002 ASEAN Declaration on Terrorism; Denounced the heinous terrorist attacks in Bali, Indonesia, and in the Philippine cities of Zamboanga and Quezon which together had claimed the lives of 216 civilians and injuring another 419 people. Stated that ASEAN is determined to carry out and build on the specific measures outlined in the ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism. The use of the word determined to carry out suggests that there were some specific practical measures from the 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to Counter Terrorism that had yet to be fully or maybe even partially implemented.
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats 2007 ASEAN issued the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism; provided the much needed framework to lay out specific practical measures and to ensure its full implementation; Lays out 23 articles which covers a wide range of issues. These include: defining the term of terrorism (Article II - Criminal Acts of Terrorism); addressing the issue of sovereignty and non-interference (Article III - Sovereign Equality, Territorial Integrity and Non-Interference and Article IV - Preservation of Sovereignty); outlining areas of cooperation and the matter of extradition (Article VI Areas of Cooperation and Article XIII Extradition); & ensuring the implementation of the specific measures (Article XVI Implementation, Monitoring and Review Fair Treatment). Only ratified by the 10 ASEAN member-states in 2013 = 6 years!
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats 2014 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Statement on the Rise of Violence and Brutality Committed by Terrorist/Extremist Organizations in Iraq and Syria ; hailed by US Secretary of State John Kerry who praised ASEAN for taking a strong stand against the Islamic State; HOWEVER criticism made of the vagaries of the Statement which notably failed to mention the Islamic State by name; 2015 Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Rise of Radicalization and Violent Extremism;?????
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats
Regional efforts to counter ISIS-linked terrorist threats
Challenges/Limits From the above, it is clear that efforts to counter the threat of terrorism within the framework of ASEAN have been met by a number of challenge, which limit what ASEAN can actually do at the regional level; J.T. Chow, University of Macau argued that ASEAN states often acted independently and that even after the bombing of the Sari Club in Bali in October 2002, there was little substantial counterterrorism cooperation among the ASEAN states ; Chow further stated that cooperation among the member states of this multilateral consortium has proved elusive.
Challenges/Limits How to account for the elusive cooperation? Lack of regional mindset when it comes to addressing terrorism; Lack of political will/national sovereignty concerns; Different approaches to addressing terrorism among ASEAN member-states
Challenges/Limits Lack of regional mindset when it comes to addressing terrorism; Whilst on paper, the ASEAN member-states recognise terrorism as a transnational issue, the memberstates have nonetheless treated terrorism as a domestic issue. In 2002, the Singaporean Senior Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, criticised the Indonesian authorities for their failure to arrest the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyaah, Abu Bakar Basyir, leading to a diplomatic war of words. Diplomatic War of Words Jakarta: S'pore is too authoritarian to understand us Indonesia's Foreign Minister gets in jab at the Republic, saying that in a democratic system, terrorism must be dealt with differently Strait Times (2002, February 25) Indonesia, Singapore at odds on terror The Australian (2002, February 22)
Challenges/Limits Lack of political will/national sovereignty concerns; Some ASEAN member-states expressed some reluctance to ratify ASEAN efforts to counter terrorism Chow argues that there are concerns that cooperation between ASEAN countries may be considered as a violation of a state s sovereignty Tellingly, Indonesia s response to the recent attacks in Jakarta have seen efforts at revising the anti-terror law. Little discussion on increasing cooperation with other ASEAN member-states. Reluctance to Ratify ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism We are discussing whether it is necessary to ratify international instruments - I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, then-indonesian Politics and Security Director for ASEAN in 2008
Challenges/Limits Different approaches to addressing terrorism among ASEAN member-states Disunity in the approach to combating terrorism can be seen in the level of involvement of the military in counter-terror operations. In Thailand and the Philippines, where terrorism has been linked to long-standing insurgency movements, the military play a major role in countering terrorism. In contrast, in Malaysia and Singapore, where insurgency movements do not exist, it is the task of the police to combat terrorism. In the case of Indonesia, this task was initially the realm of the police but lately there have been suggestions for the military to take a more active role.
Conclusion The effort to tackle the growing presence of ISIS should not be separated from its efforts to counter the decadeslong terrorist threat facing the Southeast Asian region; While ASEAN as a regional organization has made a number of efforts to counter such terrorist threats, it should learn from the shortcomings and failures from its efforts as it tries to address the threat of ISIS. In particular, it is important for ASEAN to ensure a common approach to countering terrorism, that takes into account regional mechanisms, and avoids narrow national interests/political concerns.
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