ASEAN Needs a Comprehensive Response to ISIS

The Straits Times

18 September 2014

Farish A. Noor

As the world gears up for what may well become a prolonged international campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) movement, there is growing concern about what to do with militants who may return to their countries of origin. That such an outcome has grown increasingly likely is harrowing for policymakers and laymen alike, particularly in South-east Asia.

Next year, the countries of Asean will enter a new phase in the development of the regional group, relaxing border controls further and deepening economic ties between each other.

By most accounts this would be a positive step towards building closer regional ties and enhancing state-to-state confidence, while also creating new opportunities allowing millions of Asean citizens to reap the benefits. Yet at the same time those in the security community are worried that this very same process of regional integration may be hijacked, by others who wish to disrupt development in the region.

… The writer is an associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

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