Fighting Armed Conflicts In Southeast Asia

This Element seeks to make sense of Southeast Asia's numerous armed conflicts. It makes four contributions. First, this study provides a typology, distinguishing between revolutionary, secessionist, and communal conflicts. The first two are types of insurgencies, while the latter are ethnic conflicts. Second, this study emphasizes the importance of ethnicity in shaping conflict dynamics. This is true even for revolutionary conflicts, which at first glance may appear unrelated to ethnicity. A third contribution relates to broad conflict trends. Revolutionary and secessionist conflicts feature broad historical arcs, with clear peaks and declines, while communal conflicts occur more sporadically. The fourth contribution ties these points together by focusing on conflict management. Just as ethnicity shapes conflicts, ethnic leaders and traditions can also promote peace. Cultural mechanisms are especially important for managing communal conflicts, the lone type not declining in Southeast Asia.

Exploring the links between armed conflict and transnational crime, Florian Weigand builds on in-depth empirical research into some of Southeast Asia’s murkiest borders. The disparate voices of drug traffickers, rebel fighters, government officials and victims of armed conflict are heard in Conflict and Transnational Crime, exploring perspectives that have been previously disregarded in understanding the field.

In addition to a complete overview of the conflict, The Vietnam War provides harrowing first-hand accounts of both hand-to-hand combat and advanced technology at war, written with great authority by commentators with access to the most detailed information and the closest ties to the war.

In the first two decades of the Cold War, Australia fought in three conflicts and prepared to fight in a possible wider conflagration in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In Korea, Malaya and Borneo, Australian forces encountered new types of warfare, integrated new equipment and ideas, and were part of the longest continual overseas deployments in Australia’s history. Working closely with its allies, Australia also trained for a large conventional war in Southeast Asia, while a significant percentage of the defence force guarded the Papua New Guinea–Indonesian border. At home, the Defence organisation grappled with new threats and military expansion, while the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation defended the nation from domestic and foreign threats. This book examines this crucial part of Australia’s security history, so often overlooked as merely a precursor to the Vietnam War. It addresses key questions such as how did Australia achieve its security goals at home and in the region in this new Cold War environment? What were the experiences of the services, units and individuals serving in Southeast Asia? How did this period shape Australia’s defence for years to come?

Terrorism and low intensity conflicts are not new in South Asia but the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States suddenly gave the events a new dimension. From regional considerations, terrorism acquired global connotation and in this changed perspective, South Asian terrorism and low intensity conflicts needed to be explored afresh. The geographical region covered by the book includes predominantly the member countries of SAARC, Afghanistan and Myanmar, as also specific case studies including a few instances of terrorist activities from beyond the region. The papers analyse the societal, political and economic factors responsible for the rise and salience of terrorism; the challenges posed by terrorism and low intensity conflict on peace, stability and security of the nation-states and people; the international, regional and national regime against terrorism and perpetrators of mass violence; the motives, ideologies, strategies and activities of various non-state armed groups in South Asia; and thereby contribute toward meaningful policy options in tackling terrorism and activities of armed groups.

Sixth in the annual series, this volume examines the major trends in armed conflicts in South Asia during 2011, efforts towards conflict management undertaken by the State and their effectiveness, as also the road ahead. While focusing on the burning issues within the region, the volume looks into two important aspects of the conflict situation: conflict alert and peace audit. In providing critical policy recommendations to the State, the former anticipates early warning regarding an impending conflict and its potential transformation. The latter assesses the status of ceasefires and peace processes adopted by the respective countries. The volume highlights the causes of armed conflicts in South Asia so as to facilitate concrete peace processes. In addition to essays addressing armed conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Myanmar, it includes a special section entitled 'Peace Audit'. This segment reviews and evaluates specific peace efforts undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Northeast India, measures their successes and failures, and discusses the lessons that may be learnt from them. Further, it studies the nature of these peace processes, their effectiveness and the dangers of conflict relapse.