ISIS’s Infiltration In Southeast Asia:Trend,Influence And Countermeasures

In 2014,the extremist organization "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" was founded and has rapidly infiltrated through the world.As the region with the largest Muslim population in the world,Southeast Asia has become one of the key areas where ISIS seeks to expand.ISIS has infiltrated Southeast Asia through many ways:First,it has colluded with the terrorist forces in the region;Second,it has used the Internet for extremist propaganda,recruitment and terrorist attack planning and preparation;Third,it has propagandized extremist and recruit "Jihad" by using local languages and institutional loopholes.ISIS has considered in various aspects for the choice of expanding in Southeast Asia:First,since the objective of ISIS is to survive and expand,ISIS must not only attack the cities in the Middle East,but also expand in the "the far abroad" such as Southeast Asia,to achieve its political goal of establishing a global"caliphate";Second,expanding in the resource-rich Southeast Asia would also help ISIS acquire more resources and shift strategic pressures;Third,the religious background,ethnic conflicts,demographic dividends,terrorism bases,and domestic issues in Southeast Asia have given the vast space for ISIS to expand as well.The activities of ISIS in Southeast Asia have posed a great threat to Southeast Asia and China.In Southeast Asia,the rise of ISIS has stimulated the revival of a lot former terrorist organizations,and has also inspired a series of emerging terrorist organizations.A preliminary terrorist network in Southeast Asia has been forming under the collusion between these organizations.Then,the number of terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia has increased,and terrorist activities in Southeast Asia have entered a new round of climax,which has seriously threatened regional security and stability.Even though ISIS has already been defeated,the potential threat of the ISIS to Southeast Asia has not dissipated in the context of the accelerated return of the "jihad" and the continued spread of cyber terrorism.Regional security in Southeast Asia is still unstable.In China,Southeast Asia is an important "transfer center" for the two-way flow of the "three evil forces" in Xinjiang.ISIS activities in Southeast Asia have facilitated the sneak and retreat of those terrorists.Besides,the regional security and stability in Southeast Asia have a great impact on China’s national security since China is a neighboring country of this region.In additional,Southeast Asia is a key area for China’s implementation of the "Belt and Road" strategy and a popular destination for Chinese tourists to travel overseas.The threat caused by ISIS activities in the region will also pose risks to China’s overseas interests in the region.In this context,Southeast Asia has adopted a number of counter-terrorism measures,including the continuation and renewal of past counter-terrorism measures,as well as innovative initiatives for ISIS.Specifically,Southeast Asian countries,such as Indonesia,Malaysia,the Philippines,and Singapore,which are deeply affected by terrorism,have adopted a lot measures such as formulating anti-terrorism laws,strengthening anti-terrorism institutions,taking measures of de-radicalization and so on.In addition to the self-construction of various states,anti-terrorism cooperation in Southeast Asia is also constantly improving.For example,the anti-terrorism cooperation under the ASEAN framework and the counter-terrorism cooperation with other foreign states are constantly improving.However,although the current counter-terrorism measures have achieved certain results,there are still many shortcomings,such as the existence of loopholes in counter-terrorism measures in Southeast Asian states,insufficient counter-terrorism cooperation and so forth.Therefore,in the future,Southeast Asian states should continue formulating more comprehensive and systematic counter-terrorism measures and strengthening anti-terrorism cooperation.Meanwhile,as a neighbor of Southeast Asia,China may also be affected by the spillover effect of terrorism.Therefore,China also needs to pay attention to the terrorist situation in Southeast Asia,strictly guard against the collusion between the "three evil forces" in Xinjiang.and play a more important role in counter-terrorism cooperation with Southeast Asia.