Branding Enemies: Regional Legal Responses to Terrorism in Asia

Abstract:     
The use (and misuse) of law to counter terrorism has proliferated at the national, regional and international levels since the terrorist attacks on the United States of 11 September 2001. Asia is no exception, although the roots of counter-terrorism laws run much deeper than those which grew out of 9/11. What is relatively new in the region after 9/11 is the increase in the scope and range of specific anti-terrorism laws, including those which generically define terrorism for various purposes. Not surprisingly, in the absence of an international definition of terrorism, some national definitions of terrorism in Asia are very wide indeed. As such, this article will examine a number of key counter-terrorism legal initiatives at the regional level in Asia.

Keywords: terrorism, cooperation, Asian law, regional law, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, human rights

JEL Classifications: K10, K30, K33

Accepted Paper Series