Published in association with Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo Even though South Asia had a long and diverse experience of dealing with terrorism, post 9/11 a sense of urgency and seriousness has been reinforced with regard to it at the global level. The focus in this timely volume is on the strategic evolved by the South Asian states in responding to the challenge of terrorism. It is inevitable, however, that while looking at the strategies, essential characteristics of terrorism are also understood and explained as the nature of terrorism faced in each of the South Asian countries has its own specific aspects. The study is divided into two sections. In the first section, the way in which each of the South Asian states have responded to terrorism. Has been studied carefully. In the second section, some of the comparative aspects of the region perspective, such as the role of civil societies, consequences of strategies pursued, role of the third parties, and political economy of terrorism and responding strategies have been taken up for discussion and analysis. There is also a data paper on South Asian terrorism included at the end. Contributors include Ajay Sahni, Samina Ahmed, Abul Kalam, Ayesha Siddiqa, Deepak Thapa among many others.

Terrorism Is Now An Over-Defined Concept With The State, Intellectuals, Dissenters, And Anti-State Activitivists Constantly Battling Out Its Meaning. The Understanding Of Terrorism In South Asia Cannot Remain Immune From The Global Discourse Of Violence And Terror. The Authors Of This Volume, Albeit In The Light Od Their Own Scholarly Pursuits, Have Tried To Make Sense Of The South Asian Situation By Going Beyond The Statist Discourses Of Our Time. Contributors Include Nira Wickramsinghe, Ranabir Samaddar, Jehan Perera, Shahedul Anam Khan, Sanjoy Hazarika Among Many Others.

Contents: (1) The Rise of Islamist Militancy in Southeast Asia: Overview; The Rise of Al Qaeda in Southeast Asia; (2) The Jemaah Islamiya (JI) Network: History of JI; JI¿s Relationship to Al Qaeda; JI¿s Size and Structure; (3) Indonesia: Recent Events; The Bali Bombings and Other JI attacks in Indonesia; The Trial and Release of Baasyir; (4) The Philippines: Abu Sayyaf; The MILF; The Philippine Communist Party; (5) Thailand: Southern Insurgency; Current Government¿s Approach; Little Evidence of Transnational Elements; (6) Malaysia: Recent Events; A Muslim Voice of Moderation; Maritime Concerns; Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Malaysia; Terrorist Groups in Malaysia; Malaysia¿s Counter-Terrorism Efforts; (7) Singapore: U.S.-Singapore Coop.

Following The Terrorist Attacks In New York And Washington, D.C. On 11 September 2001, South Asia Emerged As The Epicentre Of The War Against Terrorism, With The Involvement Of The American And Coalition Forces Against Al Qaeda In Afghanistan. The Development Brought Into Focus Not Only The Spectre Posed By The Threat Of Global Terrorism, But Also The Dangers Which Terrorism Poses Within And Among The Countries Of The Region. In South Asia, There Is A Consensus That Terrorism Has A Negative Impact On Economic Development, But The Assessment Differs Significantly Depending On The Experience Of Individual Countries. There Is, Therefore, A Need To Develop A Common Methodology To Calculate The Costs Of Conflicts Which Should Be Able To Demonstrate, Among Other Things, That Conflicts Are Responsible For The Economic Ills Of Countries. Such An Exercise Would Be Incomplete Without A Better Understanding Of The Economy Of Terrorism, Including The Sources And Methods Of Its Financing And Its Economic Networking. Similarly, There Is Also A Consensus In The Region That Terrorism Undermines And Weakens The Democratic Structure Of Countries, But It Is Not Yet Fully Clear How That Is Done. Most Papers In The Present Volume Have Attempted To Address Both The Causes And Consequences Of Terrorism, And Strongly Underscore The Need For Case-By-Case Study Of Individual Terrorist Groups To See How They Have Impacted On The State Structure

This book reviews the terrorist environment in South Asia, concentrating on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, but also including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

This book provides a rich analysis of the actors and organizations to reflect on the antecedents and trajectories of terrorism and insurgency in South Asia, and the different countermeasures adopted by the countries to deal with the security and developmental challenges. South Asia is a complex geography that has been both a victim and a playing field for indigenous insurgencies, and domestic and transnational terrorist movements. The contributors to this volume explore how this situation has posed serious challenges to the sovereignty of the states, to national and human security, and to the socioeconomic fabric of the communities, and to the ethnic and religious cohesion. The book provides detailed studies of country cases on terrorism, security, and insurgencies, and it underlines the national, regional, and global implications of the threats that emanate from this region. Presenting an opportunity to diversify away from a Western-centric focus on terrorism and security, this book will be valuable to researchers in political science, criminology, defense and security studies, and to policy makers and think tanks.

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.

Terrorism is a kind of war, which is launched from hideouts by employing speed, surprise and indiscriminate violence. Assassinations, killing of innocent people including women and children, and invisibility, are at the heart of the strategy of the terrorists. It is an organized system of intimidation and coercion by use of violence that does not obey the rules of war to achieve political or religious ends. This book brings out the terrorist groups involved in South Asia in detail and India in particular. Terrorist affected areas in South Asia and the effect of Terrorism has also been discussed in detail. The Naxal movement in India has also been covered in detail. In the last chapter the author has also recommended some Counter Terrorism measures and strategy for South Asia as well as for India.

Political violence has remained an integral part of South Asian society for decades. The region has witnessed and continued to encounter violence for achieving political objectives from above and from below. Violence is perpetrated by the state, by non-state actors, and used by the citizens as a form of resistance. Ethnic insurgency, religion-inspired extremism, and ideology-driven hostility are examples of violent acts that have emerged as challenges to the states which have responded with violence in the form of civil war and through violations of human rights disregarding international norms. This book explores various dimensions of political violence in South Asia, namely in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Each chapter either speaks to an important aspect of the political violence or provides an overall picture of the nature and scope of political violence in the respective country. Political violence is understood in the larger sense of political, that is, above and beyond institutions, and also as an integral part of social relationships where social norms and the role of individual agency play seminal roles. The contributions in this book incorporate both institutional and non-institutional dimensions of political violence. Exploring how everyday life in South Asian states and societies is transformed by the engagement with violence through direct and indirect methods, this book adopts an interdisciplinary framework; diverse methods are employed – from ethnographic readings to more macro level analyses. The phenomenon is explored from historical, sociological, and political perspectives. This book will be useful as a supplementary text in courses on South Asian Studies in general and South Asian Politics in particular.

Since the partition of the subcontinent along communal lines, political violence has increased in South Asia. Terrorism is one such manifestation of this violence. This book witnesses serious assessment of various aspects of terrorism that are affecting South Asia as eight scholars of international repute take a closer look at the problem. These essays discuss how terrorist activity in the region during the past few decades can be directly linked to religion-centric violence. Apart from other events, this book looks at prolonged terrorism in Punjab; militancy in Kashmir; ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka; insurgency in northest India; Maoist insurgency in Nepal; and sectarian conflict in Pakistan.