Ungoverned spaces and extremism – Michael Vatikiotis

Opinion by HD’s Regional Director for Asia, Michael Vatikiotis, published in the Rappler on 31 January 2016:

“Modern forms of terrorism increasingly draw on the dynamics of territorial warfare to build strength. The Islamic State has effectively used command of territory both to train misguided adherents and amply demonstrate its violent agenda.”

“For some time, this apparent concentration in dusty corners of broken Syria and divided Iraq lent some comfort to those Southeast Asian states who had experienced an earlier airborne version of Islamic extremism that apparently favored far-flung networks and local recruitment. The audacious daylight attack in central Jakarta in mid-January by a poorly organized but desperate group of men acting in the name of ISIS has blown a hole in this false sense of insulation…”

To read the full Opinion, please visit the Rappler website:
http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/120894-michael-vatikiotis-terrorism-islamic-state-southeast-asia