Peace And Security in Southeast Asia
The biggest threat to the maintenance of peace and security on both an international and intranational level in Southeast Asia is Al-Qaeda.
Southeast Asia has had frequent episodes of political upsurge which has been linked to terrorism. Al-Qaeda was at the forefront of all such calamity. According to Rohan Gunaratna’s estimates, in 2002 one fifth of Al-Qaeda’s organizational strength was in Asia.
Al Qaeda remains a global threat, its decentralized and clandestine nature makes it hard for governments to track down the terrorists and stop them before committing heinous acts. There is much more Asian governments and especially those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Pakistan can do to crack down on terrorist cells and reduce the likelihood of terrorist acts.
There are several issues that could be addressed by each country’s respective governments as well as the United States in order to collaboratively combat Al-Qaeda and terrorism. First, law enforcement in the region needs to improve drastically. According to the Heritage Foundation, in 2003 the United States provided $20 million of military assistance to the Philippines and only $2 million for law enforcement purposes. The funds provided for the military would be more beneficial if they were allocated to better enforcing domestic law. Due to the non-state actor nature of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, the military will prove futile in disrupting plans for attack thus domestic law enforcement is a more effective tool.
Second, Southeast Asian governments need to set up specialized anti-terrorist units (with the aid and expertise of the United States and Europe) in order to designate ‘watch-dogs’ which would be able to track potential terrorist activity or the location of cells. In essence, the decentralized model of Al-Qaeda has proven its effectiveness in remaining undetected and active. Thus this model could be mimicked for locally designated anti-terrorist units. These units would be independent of each other in their daily activities but would collaborate and act as a single counter force.
Third, a more idealistic and long-term approach for Southeast Asian governments is a strict program aiming to cut down general corruption. Corruption will hinder attempts to locate terrorists and disrupt any plans and schemes they might have. The issue of corruption is rampant in many developing countries and Southeast Asian countries are also prime victims. Al-Qaeda is able to use its bureaucratic connections to sneak weapons, supplies and launder money over borders without any detection. On a more micro-manageable level, an active effort to cut down corruption will increase transparency and make it difficult for terrorists to operate in a ‘safe’ environment.
Finally, since it is in the interest of the United States to succeed in the war against terror, they should maintain support of Southeast Asian governments and continue to provide funding as well as their expertise. Moreover, Congress should reverse the prohibition on training foreign law enforcement agencies so as to strengthen their Southeast Asian allies in combating terrorism.
Southeast Asia has had frequent episodes of political upsurge which has been linked to terrorism. Al-Qaeda was at the forefront of all such calamity. According to Rohan Gunaratna’s estimates, in 2002 one fifth of Al-Qaeda’s organizational strength was in Asia.
Al Qaeda remains a global threat, its decentralized and clandestine nature makes it hard for governments to track down the terrorists and stop them before committing heinous acts. There is much more Asian governments and especially those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Pakistan can do to crack down on terrorist cells and reduce the likelihood of terrorist acts.
There are several issues that could be addressed by each country’s respective governments as well as the United States in order to collaboratively combat Al-Qaeda and terrorism. First, law enforcement in the region needs to improve drastically. According to the Heritage Foundation, in 2003 the United States provided $20 million of military assistance to the Philippines and only $2 million for law enforcement purposes. The funds provided for the military would be more beneficial if they were allocated to better enforcing domestic law. Due to the non-state actor nature of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, the military will prove futile in disrupting plans for attack thus domestic law enforcement is a more effective tool.
Second, Southeast Asian governments need to set up specialized anti-terrorist units (with the aid and expertise of the United States and Europe) in order to designate ‘watch-dogs’ which would be able to track potential terrorist activity or the location of cells. In essence, the decentralized model of Al-Qaeda has proven its effectiveness in remaining undetected and active. Thus this model could be mimicked for locally designated anti-terrorist units. These units would be independent of each other in their daily activities but would collaborate and act as a single counter force.
Third, a more idealistic and long-term approach for Southeast Asian governments is a strict program aiming to cut down general corruption. Corruption will hinder attempts to locate terrorists and disrupt any plans and schemes they might have. The issue of corruption is rampant in many developing countries and Southeast Asian countries are also prime victims. Al-Qaeda is able to use its bureaucratic connections to sneak weapons, supplies and launder money over borders without any detection. On a more micro-manageable level, an active effort to cut down corruption will increase transparency and make it difficult for terrorists to operate in a ‘safe’ environment.
Finally, since it is in the interest of the United States to succeed in the war against terror, they should maintain support of Southeast Asian governments and continue to provide funding as well as their expertise. Moreover, Congress should reverse the prohibition on training foreign law enforcement agencies so as to strengthen their Southeast Asian allies in combating terrorism.
posted by The Egyptian Observer at 7:44 AM
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