Terrorism framework and strategies : understanding the true nature of contemporary terrorism in South East Asia.

53 p.Terrorism, armed conflict and political violence have dominated the media and security dimensions of the post cold war era. Since the September 11 attacks, popular literature would point that the Southeast Asia region as the second front for terrorism. Southeast Asia is not immune to terrorism and has been subjected to attacks frequently. While terrorism is not new to the region (it's been around before the September 11 attacks) what is new is that it has taken a religious dimension albeit 'new terrorism'. Almost every Southeast Asian country has its own 'brand' of insurgent and terrorist groups. The genesis of these groups range from the left wing political orientation to ethnic-religious and many others although all will eventually point to a separatist and nationalist one. Each group has underlying motivational factors although religion has made it seem to appear that the problem is an Islamic centric one. These groups, in order to survive, had adopted dynamic strategies and even a minor ideological shift in order to stay relevant, legitimate and more importantly, create operational networks.Master of Science (Strategic Studies