Universitas Indonesia has recently established a new Master Degree Programme in Terrorism and Security Studies which will be managed by the Department of International Relations in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. Universitas Indonesia aims to play a role in anti-terrorism efforts, at least in two ways. First it will contribute to the development of governmental counter-terrorism policy. This requires strategies to hinder terrorist activity as well as efforts to protect civil rights and social stability. Our rationale is to support and inform the state in its mission to counter terrorism and prevent the derogation of civil rights and liberties whilst also maintaining good governance, security and social services for the people. Secondly it will help create an unbiased and academically sound body of terrorism studies free from the agenda of ruling governments, political parties, agencies and private entities.
Terrorism is only part of a bigger vision of problemmatic issues confronting Indonesians, and other citizens of the world, which are associated with global uncertainty. These issues include financial instability, climate change, pandemics and a range of networked threats organized and run by various illegitimate actors. Globalization has facilitated increased volumes of trade and wealth, as will also be generated from ASEAN`s Free Trade Agreement with China. However we need to be mindful that this wealth will be unevenly distributed. Globalization has also generated an underclass of malcontents and this offers opportunities for new criminal activity and political violence on a considerable scale. This is not limited to organized crime but also parallel effects of money laundering, corruption, weapons proliferation and the emergence of kleptocratic regimes.
Indonesia’s security sector, the parliament, the executive body and security agencies can no longer ignore transnational security issues. While the rush against terrorism dies down as succcessful police killings and captures pile up, we can ask ourselves whether intelligence and security agencies have sufficient capacity to address other transnational issues such illegal trafficking of drugs, women and children and infiltration of illegitimate actors into our borders.
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