This month, RESOLVE highlights recommended readings from one of our latest Policy Note, “Dynamic Dimensions of Radicalization and Violent Extremism in Sabah, Malaysia.” Author Samuel Henkin advances a granular review of the dynamics underlying radicalization risk in Sabah, Malaysia, in order to extrapolate an analysis of emerging areas of threat and risk of violent extremism facing Southeast Asia. The policy note offers an opportunity to better understand current and future threats and risks of violent extremism facing Southeast Asia and identifies important trends and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in mitigating the spread of violent extremism and radicalization to violence in Sabah. This What We’re Reading digest was recommended by the author to give more background on radicalization to violent extremism, terrorism and counterterrorism policy in Southeast Asia, violent extremism in Sabah, Malaysia, and migration in the tri-border.

On radicalization to violent extremism

Berger, J.M. Extremism. MIT Press, 2018.

DuBois, David L., and Fasika Alem. Mentoring and domestic radicalization. National Mentoring Resource Center Research Review, 2017. https://nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/resource/mentoring-and-dome….

Jensen, Michael A., Anita Atwell Seate, and Patrick A. James. “Radicalization to violence: A pathway approach to studying extremism.” Terrorism and Political Violence 32, no. 5 (2020): 1067-1090. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1442330.

Kruglanski, Arie W., Michele J. Gelfand, Jocelyn J. Bélanger, Anna Sheveland, Malkanthi Hetiarachchi, and Rohan Gunaratna. “The psychology of radicalization and deradicalization: How significance quest impacts violent extremism.” Political Psychology 35, no. 1 (2014): 69-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12163.

McCauley, Clark, and Sophia Moskalenko. “Understanding political radicalization: The two-pyramids model.” American Psychologist 72, no. 3 (2017): 205-216. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000062.

On terrorism and counterterrorism policy in Southeast Asia

Abuza, Zachary. Militant Islam in Southeast Asia: Crucible of Terror. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2003.

Bakashmar, Muhammad. “Winning the battles, losing the war? An assessment of counterterrorism in Malaysia.” Terrorism and political violence 20, no. 4 (2008): 480-497. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546550802257200.

Inoguchi, Takashi. Reflections on the Tenets of Foreign Policy of Southeast Asian States. (Singapore: Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, 2021). https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CER210629_Reflection…-
east-Asian-States.pdf.

Schulze, Kristien E., and Julie Chernov Hwang. “Militant Islam in Southeast Asia.” Contemporary Southeast Asia 41, no. 1 (2019): 1-13. Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Southeast Asia: Emerging Trends and Dynamics. The Soufan Center, June 2021. https://thesoufancenter.org/research/terrorism-and-counterterrorism-in-…-
emerging-trends-and-dynamics/.

White, Gentry, Michael D. Porter, and Lorraine Mazerolle. “Terrorism risk, resilience and volatility: A com-
parison of terrorism patterns in three Southeast Asian countries.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology 29, no. 2 (2013): 295-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10940-012-9181-y.

On violent extremism in Sabah, Malaysia

Febrica, Senia. “Securing the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas from Maritime Terrorism: a Troublesome Cooperation?.” Perspectives on Terrorism 8, no. 3 (2014): 64-83.

Henkin, Samuel, Hafiza Nur Adeen Nor Ahmad, Ramli Dollah, Wan Shawaluddin Wan Hassan, Jagroop Singh, and Ahmad el-Muhammady. Divergent Dimensions of Radicalization Risk: Migration and Violent Extremism in Sabah, Malaysia, Desk Study Report to the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State. College Park, MD: START, 2021. https://www.start.umd.edu/publication/divergent-dimensions-radicalizati….

Low, Choo Chin. “Extraterritorial migration control in Malaysia: Militarized, externalized, and regionalized.” Regions and Cohesion 9, no. 3 (2019): 1-28. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA673438030&sid=googleScholar&v=2….

Singh, Bileveer, and Jasminder Singh. “From ‘bandit’ to ‘Amir’—The Rise of the Abu Sayyaf Group as a Jihadi Organization in the Philippines.” Asian Politics & Policy 11, no. 3 (2019): 399-416. https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12480.

On migration in the tri-border (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines)

Dollah, Ramli, and Kamarulnizam Abdullah. “The securitization of migrant workers in Sabah, Malaysia.” Journal of International Migration and Integration 19, no. 3 (2018): 717-735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0566-0.

Ibrahim, Ibnor Azli, Mohd Nur Hidayat Hasbollah Hajimin, Ezad Azraai Jamsari, Badlihisham Mohd Nasir, and Mohd Hafiz Safiai. “The Impact of Filipino Muslim Ethnic Migration into Sabah on ASEAN Integration.” International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering 8, no. 11 (2019): 369-372. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.k1354.0981119.

Kurus, Bilson. “Migrant labor: The Sabah experience.” Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 7, no. 2-3 (1998): 281-294. https://doi.org/10.1177/011719689800700208.

Testaverde, Mauro, Harry Moroz, Claire H. Hollweg, and Achim Schmillen. Migrating to opportunity: overcoming Barriers to Labor Mobility in Southeast Asia. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2017. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/28342.