Countering Insurgencies and Violent Extremism in South and South East Asia: (Cass Military Studies)

This volume of case studies examines the rise in violent extremism, terrorism and insurgency in South and South East Asia, and subsequent state responses. The South and South East of Asia has experienced various forms of extremism and violence for years, with a growing demand for academic or policy-relevant work that will enhance understanding of the reasons behind this. The violent challenges in this area have taken a variety of forms and are often exacerbated by lack of governance, tie-ins to existing regional criminal networks, colonial legacies and a presence of international terrorist movements. Written by experts with field experience, this volume analyzes the key element of successful response as the appropriate application of doctrine following nuanced assessment of threat. In practice, this often means counterinsurgency doctrine. The essays also analyze the need for irregular war practitioners to systematically examine the changing character of intrastate violent irregular challenges. The volume fills a gap in the understanding of patterns, drivers, organizations and ideologies of various insurgent and terrorist groups, and state responses. It also provides a set of recommendations for addressing the unfolding situation. This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism and political violence, counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, Asian politics and security studies in general.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part I: Emerging Challenges 1. Countering the Islamic State in Asia Dawood Azami 2. Philippines’ Counter-Terror Conundrum: Marawi and Duterte’s Battle Against the Islamic State Richard Javad Heydarian 3. The Evolution of Violent Extremism and State Response in Indonesia Geoffrey MacDonald, Rhonda Mays, and Luke Waggoner 4. The Rohingya and Myanmar’s Counter Terrorism Approach Bibhu Prasad Routray 5. Emerging Violent Radical Islamism in the Maldives Kirklin J. Bateman Part II: Cautious Optimism – or False Dawn? 6. Back To The Future: Nepali People’s War As "New War" Thomas A. Marks 7. India’s two-track response to the Naxalite movement: security and development, but no political process Samir Puri 8. India’s fleeting Attachment to the Counterinsurgency Grand Strategy Bibhu Prasad Routray 9. Countering Violent Extremism: The Singapore Experience Mohamed Bin Ali 10. Challenges in Counter Terrorism and Counter Violent Extremism in Malaysia Andrin Raj Part III: Quagmires 11. The counter-insurgency quandary in post-2001 Afghanistan Antonio Giustozzi 12. Insurgency and Violent Extremism in Pakistan Marvin G. Weinbaum 13. Counter-Insurgency in Pakistan: The Role of Legitimacy Anatol Lieven 14. Thailand’s South: Roots of Conflict Thomas A. Marks Part IV: Victory? 15. Size Still Matters: Explaining Sri Lanka’s Counterinsurgency Victory over the Tamil Tigers Sameer Lalwani 16. Sri Lanka: State Response to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Thomas A. Marks Conclusion

About the Author :
Shanthie Mariet D’Souza is Founder and President of Mantraya and Member of the Research and Advisory Committee, Naval War College, Goa, India. She has a PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

Review :
'The counterinsurgency strategy of relying solely on violent and overwhelming force without a political component has not succeeded. We now need new insights. The scholars in Shanthie Mariet D’Souza’s book provide some valuable ones for policymakers and security professionals, which are most relevant and will remain so in the years ahead.'--Vikram Sood in 'Fair Observer', September 2020 'The contributors to this comprehensive volume examine the nature of the multi-faceted ideological extremism and terrorism in South and South East Asia, and the effectiveness of the targeted governments’ counter-terrorism response measures.'-- Joshua Sinai in 'Perspectives on Terrorism', December 2020 'This recommended anthology covers a wide range of countries and types of political violence. The chapters are nicely organized around four analytic themes, providing insight into successful and unsuccessful state responses to insurgencies. ... most of the book draws from field research and provides useful analysis for scholars as well as policymakers on continuing and emerging threats. Scholars of Asian studies interested in political violence, terrorism and peace will find this a valuable volume.' --Ryan Shaffer, 'Asian Affairs', April 2021