Publication

This commentary examines 1) Indonesia and Malaysia’s hardline approaches toward counterterrorism, and 2) how the two countries are responding to a limited number of their citizens now fighting on behalf of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The commentary concludes that past get-tough counterterrorism efforts have been partially successful, but they have not prevented the spread of extremist ideas in Southeast Asia. As a result, it's time for both Indonesia and Malaysia to adopt more measured approaches, such as pursuing counter-radicalization efforts on social media.