Book Reviews

This book offers a very detailed analysis of the real threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia. It presents the various armed militant groups that have been established in states such as Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, among others. The groups range from Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge, the Philippines’ Abu Sayyaf to Burma’s (Myanmar’s) Communist Party. Tan, et al. provide a historical background of the anti-systemic or protest movements that have besieged these Southeast Asian governments for decades, such as the Huk rebellion, the New People’s Army (NPA), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and, of course, the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines. In Indonesia, the book mentions the Gerakan Aceh Merdekah and the Majelis Mujahideen.

The book is an essential tool for anyone who seeks to understand the root causes of discontent which plague some countries in Southeast Asia, to include the political, ideological, and religious movements which they spawned. But more than being just a tool for analysis, it also presents a clearer picture of the complex connections among these groups and movements, as well as the countries where they are located at or that are harboring them. For instance, it demonstrates ties between the Philippine’s Abu Sayyaf and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Indonesia’s Majelis Mujahideen and Egypt’s Jemaah Islamiyah, and the list goes on.

By presenting these concatenations, the book then attempts to provide a clearer understanding and a more intelligible way of perceiving what has been touted as the vision of a super Islamic federation of states in Asia, with the events of 9/11 and the US-led invasion of Iraq as the seeming clarion call for a holy war that would inevitably engulf the entire continent.

Tan, et al. provide a roll call of the different armed militant groups in Southeast Asia, as well as the different methodologies and marked incidents involved, the mediator groups or brokers trying to keep the peace in the region, and the counter-terrorism measures being implemented to manage, if not eliminate, the presence of conflict.

As a matter of course, insurgency is treated as an important focal point in the book. Details are presented on how the simple peasant protest groups of twentieth century Asia have evolved into a highly complex and organized network of transnational movements that have transcended political boundaries and sovereignties.

Perhaps what makes the book such a good and invaluable resource is its treatment of the emergence of postmodernist terrorism and its ties and differences with old, conventional terrorism. The concept of a radical Islam is boldly explored and analyzed by those in the know in the field of security and defense studies – the likes of Greg Fealy, Elena Pavlova, Elina Noor, and Adam Dolnik. The parallel existence of armed communist and separatist insurgencies in Southeast Asia is brilliantly discussed by Paul Rodell, Miriam Coronel Ferrer, and Thitinan Pangsudhirak, among others. Gripping analysis of state terrorism, such as when the government itself maybe culpable of instilling fear in its own populace, is also provided by Peter Carey and Syed Serajul Islam, et al. Likewise, counter-terrorism initiatives are highlighted by Rohan Gunaratna and Renato Cruz de Castro. These authors discuss how the governments of these Southeast Asian nations have responded to the threat of this new face of terrorism, one that knows no boundaries and recognizes no conventions.

Indeed, the book is vital for all who seek to learn the basics and the nitty-gritty of terrorism in Southeast Asia, complete with acronyms, tables and the well-founded analysis that detail everything one needs to know about this socio-political-ideological phenomenon which has evolved through time.

This book is highly recommended.

Senator Nene Pimentel. 2008. Federalizing the Philippines: A primer. Manila: Philippine Normal University Press. xviii. 494 pages.

by Albert E. Alejo, SJ, PhD

Like the proverbial cat that has nine lives, federalism is in the air again, perhaps stronger this time, because of the failure of the central government to dissociate itself from high level corruption, or perhaps weaker, and for the same reason that the settlers in Malacañang simply want to survive by whatever means, including adopting federalism as a reason for charter change. Senate Minority Leader Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. is aware of this argument...

Grace Nono, with Mendung Sabal, Henio Estakio, Baryus Gawid, Salvador Placido, Sarah Mandegan, Gadu Ugal, Florencia Havana, Sindao Banisil and Elena-Rivera-Mirano. 2008. The shared voice: Chanted and spoken narratives from the Philippines. Ed. Carolina Malay. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing and Fundacion Santiago. 248 pages.

by Albert E. Alejo, SJ, PhD

“My name is Grace Nono. I am a singer and a creator of songs.” That is how the author of this magical book introduces herself. That is also how she immediately connects her identity with the rest of the million “singing Filipinos” whose voices she celebrates in print. By voice Grace Nono means much more than a physiological function. “It is the summation of spiritual and sociocultural experience, of vision, and of creative imagination.” In the first few chapters...