Conflict In Southeast Asia Research Articles

Brokering Peace: Japan’s Conflict-Resolution Role in Southeast Asia during the Cold War

ABSTRACT In contrast to descriptions of Japan as a country that shied away from involvement in international political affairs during the Cold War, this article shows that since the 1960s, Japan has actively engaged in diplomacy to resolve conflicts in Southeast Asia. What motivated these efforts? What role did Japan play? What are the characteristics of Japan’s diplomacy? Drawing on declassified diplomatic documents, these questions are addressed by investigating Japan’s peace brokering in four conflicts during the Cold War era. The findings deepen our understanding of Japan’s contribution to conflict-resolution and its political role in Southeast Asia during the Cold War, which was much more active than claimed in the literature.

Apocalypse Now Final Cut: The French Plantation Is Back. Vive le Cinéma!

The paper analyzes the recovery of the French Plantation sequence in the films Apocalypse Now, Final Cut, and Coppola, recovering the movie’s entire narrative and aesthetic capacity. We demonstrate how Coppola, obeying distribution norms and standard marketing devices, suppresses the sequence, producing a film like all the others. Coppola recovered the narrative of the French Plantation in dialogue with Schoendoerffer’s nostalgic cinema, masterfully adapting Conrad’s work, Heart of Darkness. The description of the French and American wars in the paper provides the background, allowing us to understand why there is a French plantation in Vietnam and why the United States entered the conflict in Southeast Asia. The recovery of the sequence describes French colonization in the era of imperialism, producing commodities such as rubber in plantations—places where the planters put down their roots—the plantation becomes property, existential justification, homeland, and source of memory. Defeated in Dien Bien Phu, the French do not abandon Vietnam and their memories, transforming them into nostalgic ghosts shrouded in the mists of history. The French Plantation restored in Apocalypse Now, Final Cut, gives the film the status of a work of art, ceasing to be a confusing work about an absurd and unfortunate war.

Unheard voices: foreign journalists’ coverage of Vietnamese prisoners during the American War in Vietnam

ABSTRACT This article examines how foreign journalists covered the Vietnam War by focusing on how they reported on the treatment of Vietnamese detainees. As transnational actors, reporters created sources that linked the local conflict in Southeast Asia to perceptions in the wider world. Unlike the coverage of the My Lai massacre, the many reports on the fate of Vietnamese prisoners had no serious impact on public attitudes or Congressional appropriations. By providing a classification of the various acts of violence covered, this article highlights the discrepancies between the prevailing official narratives and what reporters actually witnessed in the jungles of Vietnam.

The Roots of Ethnic Conflict in Post-World War II Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines

The impacts of colonial history on present-day ethnic relations in Southeast Asia, a region known for its cultural and ethnic diversity, remain significant in understanding the sociopolitical developments within the countries of the region. This paper examines the historical origins and contemporary implications of long-standing ethnic conflicts in Southeast Asia, focusing on Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I argue that these conflicts stemmed from colonial legacies and can be traced back to each country’s respective colonial periods, which took place at different points in history. From the imposition of territorial boundaries to racial classification and differential treatment, colonial policies resulted in enduring tensions between ethnic populations, which continue to shape ethnic relations in these countries today. British colonial rule in Myanmar fostered tensions between the Bamar majority and non-Bamar minorities, while in Malaysia, disparities between Malays and ethnic Chinese were fueled by British migration policies. In the Philippines, conflicts involving the Muslim minority in Mindanao originated from attempts by the Spanish at Christianization and subjugation, further exacerbated by American imperialism. Despite variations in colonial experiences and timelines, ethnic conflicts underscore the lasting impact of colonization on these countries’ present-day social and political dynamics.

Indonesia’s Roles in Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis: Through the Lens of Public Diplomacy

Myanmar's Rohingya crisis is one of the intractable conflicts in South East Asia that has been unsolved until now. The Rohingya, as a minority group in Myanmar, suffer from human rights violations by the majority Buddhist Rakhine population with central government support. In effect, many of them fled to neighboring countries, such as Thailand, India,Indonesia and Nepal, and other countries across the region (UN Refugees, 2022). Indonesia, as one of the founding members of ASEAN, thinks that ASEAN must solve this conflict, but the obstacle faced by ASEAN is the non-intervention principle. With the differences in ideology and national interest of ASEAN member states, this conflict is not to be the utmost priority by the ASEAN Members. Indonesia gave attention to Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis since the crisis emerged in 1948 at the same time Myanmar gained independence from Great Britain. As an ASEAN host this year, Indonesia intensified its role to be a peace broker through shuttle diplomacy and engaging key players in Myanmar. Indonesia realized that this conflict must be solved by bringing to the table the key players in Myanmar’s Rohingya conflict. This conflict matters for Indonesia, because of achance for Indonesia to be portrayed as one of the countries that enhance its reputation and want to revive its glory moment in the Soeharto era that can solve regional conflict. Public diplomacy will be used in this paper by seeing the efforts of the Indonesian government, especially during President Jokowi's second term. As Joseph S. Nye said <<soft power is the ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment>>, we can see the Indonesia effort through shuttle diplomacy, implementation of the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, and humanitarian aid to solve this conflict. The capacity of Indonesia to be an honest peace broker is natural because of the resources that Indonesia had in several areas, particularly in political and economic areas.

Changes in the Composition, Equipment and Tactics of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment of the French Foreign Legion during the Indochina War

For nearly a hundred years after its creation, the French Foreign Legion consisted exclusively of infantry units, supplemented only temporarily by “mounted” infantry units, depending on the needs of the theatre of operations. These units did not exceed the size of a company, and their members used their mounts (horses, mules, camels) only to move around, and continued to fight their battles on foot. Based on this positive experience, the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment was created in 1922, and was then successfully deployed in Syria and Morocco between the two World Wars, and with varying effectiveness in France, Tunisia and Germany during the Second World War. The First Indochina War broke out in 1946 and the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment joined the conflict in Southeast Asia in 1947, only to leave in 1955 as one of the last French units. During the war, the ranks of the troop, composed mainly of foreign nationals, were reinforced within a short time by a significant number of local soldiers to alleviate the permanent shortage. In addition, depending on local geography, the unit was equipped with armoured and amphibious vehicles, and sometimes ships, which were used to develop new tactics and operate effectively in these new and very different circumstances. In view of its successes, the unit was greatly improved, originally consisting of 7 squadrons, and by the end of the conflict it had grown to 18 squadrons.

Securitization of a Political Conflict in Southeast Asia: Disengaging the Indigenous Audience in West Papua

ABSTRACT The Indonesian government maintains a security approach to dealing with the armed conflict in West Papua. However, the state’s securitization results in more harm, evidenced by the increasing number of armed attacks in its Central Highlands. Why has the securitization failed to quell the conflict in West Papua? How and why does Indonesia’s government securitize the conflict? This article uses securitization theory to show three strategies the Indonesian government uses to address the conflict and how the government excludes Papuans. It further argues that examining the Papuan resistance is critical to elucidate the ineffectiveness of this securitization. It concludes that securitization must be deliberative in achieving security outcomes, and those would only prolong rather than halt the conflict if only relying on powerful actors.

Rock art and frontier conflict in Southeast Asia: Insights from direct radiocarbon ages for the large human figures of Gua Sireh, Sarawak.

Gua Sireh, located in western Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), is known for its rock art. The cave houses hundreds of charcoal drawings depicting people, often with headdresses, knives and other accoutrements. Here, we present direct radiocarbon dates and pigment characterizations from charcoal drawings of two large (>75 cm), unique Gua Sireh human figures (anthropomorphs). To our knowledge, these are the first chronometric ages generated for Malaysian rock art, providing insights into the social contexts of art production, as well as the opportunities and challenges of dating rock art associated with the Malay/Austronesian diasporas in Southeast Asia more generally. Previous archaeological excavations revealed that people occupied Gua Sireh from around 20,000 years ago to as recently as AD 1900. The site is within Bidayuh territory, and these local Indigenous peoples recall the cave's use as a refuge during territorial violence in the early 1800s. The age of the drawings, dated between 280 and 120 cal BP (AD 1670 to 1830), corresponds with a period of increasing conflict when the Malay elites controlling the region exacted heavy tolls on the local hill tribes. We discuss rock art production at Gua Sireh in this context of frontier conflict and Bidayuh resistance.

CSO Networks and Resistance to Forced Displacement in Cambodia

While development-related conflicts are remarkably common in many regions, successful resolution of these conflicts, from the community perspective, is rare. The existing literature shows that early and sustained engagement with civil society has been key in securing better outcomes for communities, however, the activities and interventions of CSO networks that facilitate this are less clear. Based on more than a year of ethnographic field research in two communities engaged in protracted development-related conflicts in Cambodia, I find that through engagement with civil society networks, community members develop new understandings of development and development-related conflicts, particularly the role of the state in resolving or not resolving these conflicts, and awareness of potential solutions to those conflicts as well as of their own agency in seeking resolutions. These new understandings and agency enable community members to remain engaged in protracted conflicts, despite the high costs and barriers which increases the likelihood that the conflict will be resolved in ways that community members consider successful or at least less detrimental. The research indicates that sustained engagement with CSO networks, particularly local and regional CSOs, can help to ensure better outcomes for communities engaged in development-related conflicts in Southeast Asia.

Conflict and Elite Formation in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia

AbstractThe article focuses on a comparative analysis of conflict and elite formation in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia; it argues that societal conflicts in Southeast Asia are grounded in the historical formation of elite social structures within differing sociocultures and that major and long-lasting societal conflicts—both violent and non-violent—occur in social spaces between ‘power elite’ groups. Additionally, it shows how up-and-coming elite groups are recruited from the fringes of the old hierarchy, which is why they are—in many respects—social hybrids of old and new sociocultures. Moreover, after those new arrivals were elevated into the ‘power elite’, the window for upward mobility rapidly re-closed.

Abstract 224: Effect of Agent Orange and Agent Blue derived carcinogens on bladder cancer cell lines and a murine bladder cancer model

Abstract Agent Blue and Agent Orange were defoliants used in high quantities during Vietnam era conflicts in Southeast Asia. The US Department of Veterans Affairs has recently recognized that exposure to both Agent Blue and Agent Orange can potentially increase risk of bladder cancer (BCa) and has added BCa to the list of diseases for which Veterans can seek military benefits. Agent Blue contained significant quantities of organic arsenic and although arsenic is a recognized carcinogen, the understanding of how arsenic affects BCa is still unclear in the literature. Moreover, the effects of the Agent Orange contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on BCa remains largely unstudied, especially in populations that were exposed during this period. We hypothesized chronic exposure to carcinogens TCDD or organic arsenic in the form of cacodylic acid (CA) would enhance cancer associated phenotypes. We treated benign urothelial cells (UROtsa and SV-HUC-1 cells) with low doses of cacodylic acid (0.05-5µM) or TCDD (0.03 - 3nM) for up to 6 months. While we found minor differences in proliferation rates there was no consistent trend across samples in either cell line nor was cellular migration affected. Because benign urothelial cells represent a transformed cell line and not true urothelial cells, we next wanted to assess how CA affected BCa formation in mice using the validated N-Butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) induced BCa model. TCDD was omitted from this step as its carcinogenicity in mice is understood to dramatically exceed human levels and thus is not relevant to human data. To approximate early-life exposure akin to what Vietnam Era Veterans may have experienced, we treated C57Bl/6J mice with BBN for 16 weeks or 20 weeks with or without increasing concentrations of cacodylic acid (5, 10, 50ppm) for 4 weeks during BBN treatment, starting at week 4 and ending at week 8, and evaluated outcomes associated with BCa formation and progression. While previous reports have found CA promotes BBN induced BCa, we found co-treatment with CA had no effect at 16 weeks post BBN, but reduced both bladder weights (a surrogate for tumor volume) and tumor stage after 20 weeks. RNA-sequencing was used to determine how CA affected the transcriptome of BBN induced tumors. Differential gene expression and Reactome analysis indicated the predominant changes were associated with alterations in RNA processing and translation, EGFR signaling and more. Our work thus far indicates that the ability of TCDD/CA exposure to promote BCa formation is likely context dependent. Future studies will enhance our understanding of how CA interacts with BBN acutely, and attempt to define mechanisms of how arsenic may protect against BBN induced BCa in experimental models, and whether this is clinically relevant for Vietnam Era Veterans. Citation Format: Ganeshkumar Rajendron, Erika Abbott, Jeffery Thompson, Shachi Patel, Aaron Barchowsky, Katie Dennis, Benjamin L. Woolbright, John A. Taylor. Effect of Agent Orange and Agent Blue derived carcinogens on bladder cancer cell lines and a murine bladder cancer model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 224.

A review of patterns and geographical distribution of human-wildlife conflicts in Indonesia

The unprecedented growth of human-dominated landscapes has led to population decline and the extinction of many animal species. A major paradigm shift that perceived wildlife as problem animals into threatened species that need protection triggered human-wildlife conflict studies. Although human-wildlife conflict incidences can be found globally, they have unique characteristics in each region of the world. However, little is known about the characteristics of human-wildlife conflicts in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. There is a need for a comprehensive insight into human-wildlife conflict studies in Indonesia to understand past advancements and propose future priorities. This study examined the literature that provides the overall view of the human-wildlife conflict patterns in the country. The results showed that there was a comparatively small number of studies because this field was a relatively new subject in Indonesia. Furthermore, there were big gaps regarding animal species and the geographic distribution of study sites. A total of 35 species belonging to eight taxonomic groups experienced conflicts with humans. However, the studies heavily focused on three groups of animals and certain areas of the country. The predominant conflict sites were secondary forest, agroforestry, and farmlands. The conflicts in these areas unveiled the significance of local beliefs and social norms for formulating mitigation strategies.

EFEKTIVITAS PEMBENTUKAN ASEAN INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION DALAM MENANGANI KONFLIK DI KAWASAN ASIA TENGGARA

Various conflicts that occurred in the Southeast Asian region made ASEAN respond quickly. This is realized through the establishment of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation which carries out several functions including research, capacity building, development in expertise, networking, gathering experiences and ASEAN best practices on peace, conflict management and conflict resolution, and post-conflict peace building. However, until now there are still various conflicts that occur. Therefore, this study aims to present the results of an analysis of organizational reporting. To gain a more comprehensive understanding, the researcher uses the theory of Regime Effectiveness and the concept of international regimes. In addition, this study uses a qualitative method with a qualitative descriptive type. This study finds that the organization is not effective in dealing with conflicts in Southeast Asia because the organization is not empowered in conflict resolution efforts, in addition to the application of the ASEAN Way principle and the lack of support from member countries.

Mediating Civil Conflicts in Southeast Asia: Lessons from Aceh and Mindanao

Southeast Asia has been a hotbed of intractable civil conflicts motivated by several issues such as ethnicity, ideology, and historical injustice, among others. Despite the intractability, there have been instances when third-party assistance through mediation has been vital in achieving peace agreements in the region. Using the cases of the third-party mediation of the conflicts in Aceh, Indonesia and Mindanao, Philippines, this research identified the kinds of mediation and qualities of mediators that led to the achievement of peace agreements in these two cases. This research mainly focused on path dependence, critical junctures, and periodization approaches in the comparative analysis of Aceh and Mindanao third-party mediation through a qualitative examination that involved comparative process tracing (CPT), a two-step methodological approach that combines theory, chronology, and comparison. The results showed that the mediators instrumental to the Aceh and Mindanao peace agreements allayed the commitment issues of the negotiations and ensured the trust and confidence of the conflict parties. Thus, mediators should create relations of trust among parties and a mediation environment where the commitment fears are relieved through the promise of third-party monitoring.

Identity Matters: Indonesia’s approach towards territorial disputes in South-east Asia

ABSTRACT After gaining independence in 1945, Indonesia’s foreign policy demonstrated an active role in resolving maritime disputes in South-east Asia. The settlement effort is inseparable from the role of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as the cornerstone of Indonesia’s foreign policy. In responding to the maritime boundary disputes in the South-east Asian region, for instance, Indonesia relates to the ASEAN “spirit of dialogue”, which emphasises the principles of diplomacy, negotiations and cooperation in conducting peaceful settlements. However, under Joko Widodo’s administration, Indonesia did not always prioritise its institutional aspects in responding to maritime conflicts in South-east Asia. In some cases, Indonesia acts unilaterally, especially when the case concerns its maritime identity. This article will try to examine Indonesia’s approach towards territorial disputes under Jokowi’s administration, by asking two questions: (1) Is Indonesia’s approach towards territorial disputes more institutionalist or realist? (2) If both apply, to what extent has Indonesia become institutionalist or realist? By using a constructivist approach, this article argues that Indonesia embraces two identities that function hierarchically. Indonesia identifies itself first as a maritime nation, and second as a regional leader. When it comes to settling sea territorial disputes, Indonesia’s geopolitical behaviour has always been shadowed by the maritime nation identity.

Perceptions of Human Security among Islamic School Students, Parents and Teachers in Southern Thailand’s Subnational Conflict Zone

ABSTRACT Since 2004, close to 7,000 people have died in Thailand’s domestic insurgency in its three Muslim-majority southern provinces, one of the longest-running, low-intensity conflicts in Southeast Asia. This study assesses perceptions of human security threats in the area among a sample of students, their parents, and teachers of Islamic private schools (n = 427, n = 331, n = 51, respectively), and how they relate to perceptions of government actors and other community institutions. Questionnaire items were drawn from the World Values Survey Wave 6. Focus groups and interviews were also conducted to deepen our understanding of conflict related dynamics.

Participation without Democracy: Containing Conflict in Southeast Asia

Participation without Democracy: Containing Conflict in Southeast Asia

How information sharing at information grounds helps reconnect a religiously divided society? Cafés, Christians and Muslims in Ambon, Indonesia

PurposeDifferent worldviews have been posed as constraining to information sharing. Religion is one element that constitutes the way people view the world. In many countries, religion has become a source for violent conflicts. This study investigates how Christians and Muslims in Ambon, Indonesia shared information at cafes situated at border areas and it helped the two religious communities reconcile their different worldviews after over a decade of living in conflicts.Design/methodology/approachInformed by information grounds theory, this study analyzes data collected through a series of observation at three cafes situated at border areas and in-depth interviews with 31 informants. The analysis illuminates the processes that enable Christians and Muslims to exchange their different worldviews.FindingsThis study found that, after the conflict, Christian and Muslim communities longed for the interaction they had with the other as it was before the conflict. However, these same communities tended to remain in there religiously homogenous environments as there was a conception that the others' area was unsafe. Cafés at the borders became platforms to fulfill the need to meet with the other, promoting inter-religious interactions. At the cafés, an array of information was shared to establish mutual interests, from which more meaningful interpersonal relationships such as friendship and collaboration arose. Such relationships allowed regular visitors to exchange worldviews, re-stitching the broken social fabric in post-conflict Ambon.Originality/valueThis study expands the applicability of information grounds theory to the context of a religious conflict in Southeast Asia. It demonstrates processes of how continuous interactions at information grounds can gradually facilitate communities with adversarial relationships to exchange their different worldviews.

書評：Garry Rodan, Participation without Democracy: Containing Conflict in Southeast Asia.

書評：Garry Rodan, Participation without Democracy: Containing Conflict in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN Mechanism for Human Security Problems in Southeast Asia: What's Wrong?

Since the flow of goods and services begins to cross national borders, threats to human security do not originate solely from war. The era of traditional security has begun to shift towards non-traditional security or human security. In this concept, threats to security are directed directly at humans such as natural disasters, epidemics, drugs and human trafficking, and terrorism. Southeast Asia is the region most vulnerable to natural disasters. Relations between countries in this region are under the auspices of ASEAN. ASEAN Way is an ASEAN mechanism based on the principle of state sovereignty and non-intervention. ASEAN Way and Human Security are two different concepts. The ASEAN mechanism cannot be applied absolutely to overcome natural disasters that are massive, cross-border and occur in areas of armed conflict in Southeast Asia. In this case, it is necessary to broaden understanding of the nature of the principle of state sovereignty and non-intervention.Keywords: ASEAN Mechanism, Human Security, Southeast Asia