Transnational terrorism has recently emerged as a serious security threat in Southeast Asia. This thesis examines the conditions, causes, and nature of the transnational terrorist threat in the region. It analyses the historical, political, economic, sociocultural, religious-ethnic, and geostrategic factors in Southeast Asia, and the history, goals, strategy, operations, and transnational relationships of four selected Islamic fundamentalist groups in the region (namely Jemaah Islamiyah, Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and Laskar Jihad) that contribute to the emergence of the threat. The analysis demonstrates that the underlying conditions and causes are complex, comprising both contributing and countervailing elements. The nature of the threat displays limited indigenous roots, underpinnings of temporal and non-lasting political and economic problems, and strong external influences. It concludes that the emergence of transnational terrorism in Southeast Asia is essentially an external-influenced phenomenon with limited and weak internal coherence, and is therefore not an inherent and irreversible process. A clear understanding of the conditions, causes, and nature of the threat can provide a framework for the development of effective regional and national strategies to combat it.
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