ABSTRACT
Although Islamist political parties are likely to grow in power and influence, there is considerable debate about the significance of this trend. Some argue that as long as the Islamist parties remain committed to the secular, democratic state, there is no cause for concern. Others worry that this phenomenon will broaden the pool of support for people at the opposite end of the political spectrum: those committed to creating an Islamist state, but willing to use violence to achieve this goal. Beyond this debate, Islamist terrorism represents the most serious security threat in Indonesia today-a challenge to both Western interests in Southeast Asia and Indonesia’s democratic transition. Indonesia has been the victim of four major terrorist attacks since 11 September
2001 that have killed more than 240 people: the bombing of two nightclubs popular with foreigners on the crowded tourist island of Bali (October 2002), the bombing of the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta (August 2003), the bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta (September 2004), and the triple suicide bombings in Balinese restaurants (October 2005). In all, there have been seven suicide bombers-in a country where before 2000, it seemed inconceivable. The perpetrator of these attacks, JI, a loose affiliate of Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda organization, remains the single greatest security threat to Indonesia. While Indonesian and international counter-terrorist operations have not been
able to stop JI from mounting sophisticated attacks, the group nevertheless is now operating under increasing constraints as a result. More than 350 arrests have been made across Southeast Asia since September 2001, with some 200 arrests in Indonesia alone. Some observers, moreover, believe that JI has broken into two distinct factions, including one which opposes the current bombing campaign.1
