ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role state failure plays in fostering individual support for political violence and terrorism. The network of states in Southeast and South Asia are not strangers to the corrosive system of state failure and collapse and the presence of terrorism. Within Southeast Asia, nine of the ten states are considered failing based upon the 2011 Failed State Index and the 2008 Index of State Weakness; and insurgent movements, terrorist organizations, and ethno-religious separatist movements that are present in the region represent significant security challenges to the fragile states. Terrorism and political violence are present in Southeast Asia, which became apparent after September 11, 2001, when the United States enlisted the support of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand to crack down on the Jemaah Islamiyah presence in their countries, a prominent Pan Asian terrorist network with extensive ties to al-Qaeda.
