The document discusses security concerns in Southeast Asia related to terrorism and radical Islamist groups. It notes that since 2001, the U.S. has increased focus on groups like Jemaah Islamiyah and al Qaeda in countries like Indonesia and the Philippines. While terrorist activity has decreased due to counterterrorism efforts, governments must balance security concerns with domestic politics regarding foreign involvement. The document also discusses Bangladesh's strategic interests in engaging with Southeast Asia through regional forums to pursue economic and security cooperation.

1. Country: Bangladesh
Committee: United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
Topic B: Security Concerns in the Middle East and the Southeast Asia
Since September 2001, the United States has increased focus on radical Islamist and
terrorist groups in Southeast Asia, particularly those in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, and Singapore. Southeast Asia has been a base for terrorist operations. Al Qaeda
penetrated the region by establishing local cells, training Southeast Asians in its camps in
Afghanistan, and by financing and cooperating with indigenous radical Islamist groups.
Indonesia and the southern Philippines have been particularly vulnerable to penetration by
Islamic terrorist groups. While there has been significant anti-Western terrorist activity in
Southeast Asia, counter-terror measures in recent years appear to have significantly
degraded anti-Western terrorist groups’ ability to launch attacks against Western targets in
the region. U.S. attention in the region has been focused on radical Islamist groups,
particularly the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network that are known or alleged to have
ties to the Al Qaeda network. Combating anti-American terrorism in Southeast Asia presents
the Obama Administration and Congress with a delicate foreign policy problem, though not
of the highest priority given U.S. engagement in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
Southeast Asian governments have to balance these despite mutual interests in combating
terrorism with the help of security concerns with domestic political considerations.
Although proponents of violent, radical Islam remain a very small minority in Southeast Asia,
many governments view increased American pressure and military presence in their region
with concern because of the political sensitivity of the issue with both mainstream Islamic
and secular nationalist groups.
Bangladesh’s engagement as a part of its planned ‘Look East’ policy is, however, more
recent. She has evidently different interests and priorities which seem to depend on a
multiplicity of factors such as geography (proximity to or common boundary with Southeast
Asia), level (also perceived potential) of trade and investment, diaspora, needs of maritime
or energy security etc. Bangladesh has generally admired the success of ASEAN, especially in
comparison to SAARC, and should follow, in some way or the other, the steps taken by
ASEAN countries towards building infrastructure, poverty alleviation, tourism and overall
regionalism, though SAARC has been in existence for a much shorter period.
Bangladesh, which is seen as a land bridge between SAARC and ASEAN, has enormous
geographic advantages for its proximity to Myanmar and to other South East Asian nations
to promote inter regional economic, political, and security cooperation. Once connected via
the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway, South and South East Asian nations will be
using Bangladesh as the main transit point to increase economic interactions amongst
themselves. Bangladesh, with appropriate policies and infrastructures in place, will be
playing pivotal role in defining the direction of economic relations between the two
emerging regional groups. Bangladesh can use the platform of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
as a vital instrument for the realisation of its aims and objectives to find common ground for
achieving mutual economic benefit. Bangladesh's presence in the ASEAN Regional Forum

2. has provided it with an international focus as a voice for managing security issues in the
volatile region. As an explicit goal of Bangladeshi foreign policy has been to seek close
relations with the states of Asia-Pacific, the government should pursue the expansion of
cooperation among the nations of Asia pacific bringing the process of betterment of 160
million inhabitants of the country.