Violence in South-East Asia

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how democratic governments in South-East Asia use violence as a tool for legitimacy. It explores the unique characteristics of some of the South-East Asian democracies with a comparative focus on the cases of Thailand and East Timor. The first part of the paper looks at how the Thai and Indonesian governments use violence and their links with the military to validate and strengthen their political legitimacy. The second part explores how these governments further use violence to quell dissent and maintain their legitimacy on an international stage, to important financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as to other countries. In the conclusion, the paper looks at the characteristics of Thai and Indonesian political institutions, which make violence an important component of maintaining political legitimacy. It posits that the rapid economic growth sweeping the region presents opportunities for more equitable distribution of resources and a greater recognition of individual civil rights.

From the Paper:

"This formulation presupposes that the absence of protest is the same as rational compliance. In South-East Asia, however, the seeming rational compliance often masks an undercurrent of coercion that makes dissent impossible and dangerous. This coercion is illustrated clearly East Timor's bloody struggle for independence. During two decades of Indonesian rule, the Indonesian government used military force to commit atrocities on par with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The Indonesian military government took over East Timor's coffee exports and other businesses. Corruption was rampant as Indonesian economic migrants swarmed into the area for the jobs. In contrast to the Indonesians who profited from the area's business, many East Timorese experienced extreme hardship (Kingsbury 397)."

More papers on Violence in South-East Asia:

• Research Paper # 62498 : "The U.S. in South East Asia"
• Research Paper # 8977 : "Sovereignty and Security in South East Asia"
• Research Paper # 45168 : "Insurgency in South East Asia"

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