The lecture focuses on the role of geopolitics of the Cold War in shaping the conflict in the Cen... more The lecture focuses on the role of geopolitics of the Cold War in shaping the conflict in the Central Asia. In this lecture, I use Afghanistan as a case study to demonstrate how the world superpowers the US and USSR (now Russia) used foreign territory as theatre of conflict, exploiting the local cause to advance foreign policy objectives. The implication of the war also will be discussed particularly on the rise of Mujahiddin fighters, the rise of al-Qaeda and its subsequent events such as 9/11, invasion of Afghanistan by the US and Iraq after 11 September 2001.
This paper attempts to explore the implications of conflicts emanated from the international, reg... more This paper attempts to explore the implications of conflicts emanated from the international, regional and the local settings to Malaysia's national security. The paper argues that the threats to Malaysia ssecurity is not a new phenomenon. Threats to Malaysia ssecurity has been a constant variable manifesting in variousforms and degree of intensity since 1940s until today. However, the intensity of conflicts taking place in the Middle East and the threats of Islamic State (IS) group or Daesh compounded with the existence of several "hotspots" of conflicts is bound to make security environments in Southeast Asia more exposed and vulnerable to terrorism threats. In turn, it is bound to affect Malaysia's national security. The situation is increasingly alarming in Malaysia, as the national police, the Royal Malaysia Police(RMP) has detained more than 300 suspects since 2013, including government servant, security personnel and the youth of below forty years old. The region also witnesses the emergence of new threats landscape (NTL) posed by IS. It is characterized by the change in the nature of threats f rom state to non-state actor, single to multiple threats, group to lone wolf, social media to smartphone, social media as the mass recruiter, and etc. Given the nature of the threats, thepaper argues Malaysia needs to take proactive measures to prevent terrorism threatsfromgrowing inside. Five recommendations areputf orward to mitigate the threats namely, allocation of significant investment in military and security expenditure, crafting National Counterterrorism Strategy, creating Cyber Force unit attached to Ministry of Def ence, countering extremist ideology initiatives and being more active asf acilitator or mediator in regional conflicts.
The real danger is fighters returning home to the region with the " expertise and experience " t... more The real danger is fighters returning home to the region with the " expertise and experience " to wage war, says Malaysia's Ahmad El-Muhammady, who has interviewed more than 50 detainees. The real danger is fighters returning home to the region with the " expertise and experience " to wage war, says Malaysia's Ahmad El-Muhammady, who has interviewed more than 50 detainees.
The lecture focuses on the role of geopolitics of the Cold War in shaping the conflict in the Cen... more The lecture focuses on the role of geopolitics of the Cold War in shaping the conflict in the Central Asia. In this lecture, I use Afghanistan as a case study to demonstrate how the world superpowers the US and USSR (now Russia) used foreign territory as theatre of conflict, exploiting the local cause to advance foreign policy objectives. The implication of the war also will be discussed particularly on the rise of Mujahiddin fighters, the rise of al-Qaeda and its subsequent events such as 9/11, invasion of Afghanistan by the US and Iraq after 11 September 2001.
This paper attempts to explore the implications of conflicts emanated from the international, reg... more This paper attempts to explore the implications of conflicts emanated from the international, regional and the local settings to Malaysia's national security. The paper argues that the threats to Malaysia ssecurity is not a new phenomenon. Threats to Malaysia ssecurity has been a constant variable manifesting in variousforms and degree of intensity since 1940s until today. However, the intensity of conflicts taking place in the Middle East and the threats of Islamic State (IS) group or Daesh compounded with the existence of several "hotspots" of conflicts is bound to make security environments in Southeast Asia more exposed and vulnerable to terrorism threats. In turn, it is bound to affect Malaysia's national security. The situation is increasingly alarming in Malaysia, as the national police, the Royal Malaysia Police(RMP) has detained more than 300 suspects since 2013, including government servant, security personnel and the youth of below forty years old. The region also witnesses the emergence of new threats landscape (NTL) posed by IS. It is characterized by the change in the nature of threats f rom state to non-state actor, single to multiple threats, group to lone wolf, social media to smartphone, social media as the mass recruiter, and etc. Given the nature of the threats, thepaper argues Malaysia needs to take proactive measures to prevent terrorism threatsfromgrowing inside. Five recommendations areputf orward to mitigate the threats namely, allocation of significant investment in military and security expenditure, crafting National Counterterrorism Strategy, creating Cyber Force unit attached to Ministry of Def ence, countering extremist ideology initiatives and being more active asf acilitator or mediator in regional conflicts.
The real danger is fighters returning home to the region with the " expertise and experience " t... more The real danger is fighters returning home to the region with the " expertise and experience " to wage war, says Malaysia's Ahmad El-Muhammady, who has interviewed more than 50 detainees. The real danger is fighters returning home to the region with the " expertise and experience " to wage war, says Malaysia's Ahmad El-Muhammady, who has interviewed more than 50 detainees.
Families cry foul over whereabouts of nine men deported by Malaysia They had been sent home last ... more Families cry foul over whereabouts of nine men deported by Malaysia They had been sent home last month for alleged terror links with the Muslim Brotherhood The deportees included eight Egyptians and one Tunisian KUALA LUMPUR: The lawyer of one of the nine suspects who were deported by Malaysia for alleged links with a North African terror group voiced concern on Friday over their well-being. She said that their families were unaware of their whereabouts. The nine Middle Eastern men-eight Egyptians and one Tunisian-were deported last month during a series of counter-terrorism operations in the Malaysian states of Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak. Latheefa Koya, the Executive Director of Lawyers for Liberty and the lawyer for the family of AbdAllah Mahmoud Hisham Mostafa Mohamed, released a statement that the Egyptian government claimed it was unaware of the whereabouts of the nine men.
A Malaysian soldier patrols in the Kuala Lumpur Sentral train station, July 7, 2016. AP Malaysia'... more A Malaysian soldier patrols in the Kuala Lumpur Sentral train station, July 7, 2016. AP Malaysia's diverse Muslim community has made it a popular destination for foreign militant fighters who are trying to escape from the wars in Syria and Iraq, an adviser to the Royal Malaysian Police told BenarNews. Ahmad El-Muhammady, who advises police on rehabilitation programs for terrorist detainees, said foreign fighters had admitted this during debriefing sessions.
This paper attempts to explore the implications of conflicts emanated from the international, reg... more This paper attempts to explore the implications of conflicts emanated from the international, regional and the local settings to Malaysia's national security. The paper argues that the threats to Malaysia ssecurity is not a new phenomenon. Threats to Malaysia ssecurity has been a constant variable manifesting in variousforms and degree of intensity since 1940s until today. However, the intensity of conflicts taking place in the Middle East and the threats of Islamic State (IS) group or Daesh compounded with the existence of several "hotspots" of conflicts is bound to make security environments in Southeast Asia more exposed and vulnerable to terrorism threats.In turn,it is bound to affect Malaysia's national security. The situation is increasingly alarming in Malaysia, as the national police,the RoyalMalaysiaPolice (RMP) has detained more than 300 suspects since 2013, including government servant, security personnel and the youth of below forty years old. The regio...
Militarization and the Global Rise of Paramilitary Culture
Many studies have shown that the factors and pathways to radicalisation are multivariate, with so... more Many studies have shown that the factors and pathways to radicalisation are multivariate, with social media being a key resource that terrorists use to expand their influence. In the context of Malaysia’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division revealing that 98% of terrorist supporters and members in the country were recruited online, this chapter examines a case study of two Islamic State Telegram groups which was established by Wanndy, South-East Asia’s most effective terrorist recruiter. Analysing text from the actual Telegram conversations, the chapter outlines how the radicalisation process was carried out in this private, virtual environment, and the crucial role that paramilitary themes played in romanticising jihad and formation of a terrorist’s mind. The findings are outlined in relation to a five-step process towards extremism: trust building, mind formation, consensus building, affirmation of support and actualisation.
There is a resurgence of interest in the wasaṭīyah (moderation) approachamong contemporary Muslim... more There is a resurgence of interest in the wasaṭīyah (moderation) approachamong contemporary Muslim academics and policymakers, particularly withregards to its application and utility in resolving social challenges. This renewedinterest apparently intensified especially due to Samuel Huntington’s1993 “clash of civilizations” thesis in the aftermath of 9/111 and the emergenceof extremism and liberal thinking in the Muslim world.2This short essay argues that the need for wasaṭīyah in the present-daycontext is not due to that factor alone; rather, it is a response to the pervasiveextremism manifesting itself in various forms, either in the practice of politics,economics, culture, religion, and others. Economic extremism produced exploitation,market manipulation, inequality, and poverty in many countries.In the realm of politics, extremism appears in the form of global domination,authoritarianism, and even democratization projects that ignore the country’ssocio-political contexts. Such an...
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police, the Royal Malaysia Police(RMP) has detained more than 300 suspects since 2013, including government servant, security personnel and the youth of below forty years old. The region also witnesses the emergence of new threats landscape (NTL) posed by IS. It is characterized by the change in the nature of threats f rom state to non-state actor, single to multiple threats, group to lone wolf, social media to smartphone, social media as the mass recruiter, and etc. Given the nature of the threats, thepaper argues Malaysia needs to take proactive measures to prevent terrorism threatsfromgrowing inside. Five recommendations areputf orward to mitigate the threats namely, allocation of significant investment in military and security expenditure, crafting National Counterterrorism Strategy, creating Cyber Force unit attached to Ministry of Def ence, countering extremist ideology initiatives and being more active asf acilitator or mediator in regional conflicts.
police, the Royal Malaysia Police(RMP) has detained more than 300 suspects since 2013, including government servant, security personnel and the youth of below forty years old. The region also witnesses the emergence of new threats landscape (NTL) posed by IS. It is characterized by the change in the nature of threats f rom state to non-state actor, single to multiple threats, group to lone wolf, social media to smartphone, social media as the mass recruiter, and etc. Given the nature of the threats, thepaper argues Malaysia needs to take proactive measures to prevent terrorism threatsfromgrowing inside. Five recommendations areputf orward to mitigate the threats namely, allocation of significant investment in military and security expenditure, crafting National Counterterrorism Strategy, creating Cyber Force unit attached to Ministry of Def ence, countering extremist ideology initiatives and being more active asf acilitator or mediator in regional conflicts.