Combating terrorism in East Asia—a framework for regional cooperation

The nature of the East Asian terrorist threat is obviously most acute in Southeast Asia. In dealing with that threat there are three levels of action to pursue. The first relates to the domestic developments nations can all be expected to take individually within their respective countries. Secondly there's the broader international cooperation that nations undertake through organisations such as the UN, G8, ASEAN and APEC. The third area for action and cooperation is the support given directly to individual countries in Southeast Asia, and in particular, the aid and assistance to develop and enhance their own domestic capabilities to combat terrorism. The bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta emphasises that the priorities for assistance and cooperation are in the field of intelligence, namely to gain a better understanding of the terrorists and their motives and the requirement for the exchange of intelligence between regional countries.