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 Bali
Primary Researcher:
Jeff Lewis
Understanding the background to the Bali bombings of 12 October 2002
entails more than simply finding out who was part of the terrorist
network. Two key reports have suggested that weaknesses in the central
Indonesian government have contributed significantly to the conditions
that framed the bombings. Reports by the International Crisis Group
(2004) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (2003) have
claimed that both the Wahid and Megawati presidencies failed to address
military and governmental corruption and the growing security threats
posed by militant Islamicist groups like Jamaah Islamiyah and Laskar
Jihad. These reports, along with other commentaries, also suggest
that the crisis of governmentality is linked more broadly to Indonesia's
struggling economy-most particularly as it is associated with the
Asian monetary crisis of 1997 and decades of corrupt mismanagement
by the Soeharto New Order regime.
Bali is critical to the transformation process in Indonesia. It provides essential export income funds as a tourist destination, and it is a major conduit to global economic and cultural integration. Not surprisingly, the Indonesian Government and major donor organizations like the United Nations Development Program are supporting a tourism-led recovery for Bali. The aim of the current research project is to examine the viability and efficacy of such a recovery. In particular, the research examines the background to the bombings and the ways in which the local communities perceive recovery within a context of national transformation and globalization. The research seeks to uncover tensions across and within these communities which may hinder recovery, especially in terms of the national government's political and social agenda. The research applies open interview techniques and works with key informants and general community members.
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| Sources of Insecurity ©Copyright
2004 |
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