Introduction

Postcolonial states in South and Southeast Asia continue to be challenged by violent ethno-nationalist and secessionist insurgencies. The postcolonial states of South and Southeast Asia are multi-national, meaning that they comprise of many ethnic nations. While the idea of national self-determination is fine in theory, in practice its implementation has proved to be problematic and controversial. Critics argue, however, that territorial or regional autonomy arrangements may not be the panacea for ethnic conflict in all cases. Other critics, such as Coakley, have argued that autonomy arrangements often fail to resolve ethnic conflicts because they lead to a change of one set of bad masters for another (albeit from own ethnic kin) and fail to deliver positive outcomes for people across all areas of governance (either as a result of deliberate design or faulty implementation). Furthermore, autonomy arrangements, by exacerbating the problem of “spoilers” (disaffected factions within the ethnic ruling elite), may also endanger peace.