Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Southeast Asia Grapples with Extremism Resurgence

Following the recent liberation of Mosul and Raqqa under siege, the so-called Islamic State is slowly collapsing inwards. As it does, the prospect of battle hardened foreign fighters returning to their countries of origin are a concern for governments around the world. For governments in Southeast Asia, the concern is not just the recent uptick in extremist attacks, but the parallels it has with recent history.

Southeast Asia has a long and unbroken history of Islamic extremism dating back to the end of World War II. The threat it has posed has waxed and waned over time, but it peaked in the late  1990’s and early 2000’s when al Qaeda linked fighters from a burgeoning regional terrorist network,  Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), returned from training in Afghanistan.  JI was responsible for a series of high profile bombings and terrorist attacks throughout Southeast Asia, particularly against Western targets.  After a targeted campaign by regional governments, JI was severely degraded and its networks fractured. Nonetheless, the precedent of returning fighters joining an emerging terror network has powerful lessons for today.

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

The Houthi Balancing Act After Israel’s Attack on Iran

OPINION — How will the Houthis respond to the devastating Israeli strikes on Iran? This moment could prove decisive for both the Iran-led axis and [...] More
The Attack that Knocked Back Iran’s Nuclear Program

The Attack that Knocked Back Iran’s Nuclear Program

EXPERT INTERVIEW — Israeli airstrikes against targets associated with Iran’s nuclear program early Friday have seemingly dealt a devastating blow as [...] More

Dead Drop: June 13

SHOULD GREENLAND AND PANAMA BE (EVEN MORE) NERVOUS: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was engaged in a war of words this week with lawmakers during a [...] More
Report for Friday, June 13, 2025

Report for Friday, June 13, 2025

9:07 AM America/New_York Friday, June 13 [...] More

China Wants Our Hearts. Literally.

OPINION — China is pre-positioning itself on U.S. networks for disruptive and destructive attacks against our critical infrastructure. In the past [...] More