War of Words

Islam influenced Acehnese resistance in two main senses: firstly as a foundation of moral and political guidance in concepts of justice; and secondly as a distinct Islamic culture with inherited local political roles incorporating theocratic elements. Islamic practice in Aceh has been variously described as “fundamentalist orthodox” and “devout syncretist.” Arbitrary genealogical accounts emphasize Aceh’s inclusion within the Sunni strain of Islam, but this generalization tends to obliterate subtle yet strong differences from other areas of the archipelago

HOW does journalist in Aceh convey a truth in conflict zone? Which one do they prefer to, telling the truth due in part of their first duty or obscuring it for the sake of those whose lives are threatened under perilous circumstances?

E Ea as st t--W We es st t C Ce en nt te er r The East-West Center is an internationally recognized education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen understanding and relations between the United States and the countries of the Asia Pacific. Through its programs of cooperative study, training, seminars, and research, the Center works to promote a stable, peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific community in which the United States is a leading and valued partner. Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, private foundations, individuals, corporations, and a number of Asia Pacific governments. E Ea as st t--W We es st t C Ce en nt te er r W Wa as sh hi in ng gt to on n Established on September 1, 2001, the primary function of the East-West Center Washington is to further the East-West Center mission and the institutional objective of building a peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific community through substantive programming activities focused on the theme of conflict reduction in the Asia Pacific region

Third World Quarterly, Volume 35, Issue 2, 2014

This article illustrates how discourses on 'state fragility' have been instrumentalised by the Indonesian military in order to consolidate its political and economic power after the fall of Suharto. In the wake of Indonesia's transition to democracy violent conflicts escalated in East Timor, Aceh, Papua, the Moluccas and Sulawesi. Most notably East Timor's successful secession spawned fears over the potential 'balkanisation' of Indonesia. In this context the Indonesian military, which had been shunned for its involvement in Suharto's New Order, managed to re-establish itself as the 'guardian of the nation'. Based on fieldwork in Indonesia, the article describes how post-9/11 discourses over a potential break-up of Indonesia were used by the Indonesian military to reconsolidate its power in the post-Suharto era. The research findings illustrate that, against the looming threat of state disintegration, attempts to revoke the military's prerogatives have either failed or have been aborted during the planning stages.

Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, Vol.38, No.2, 2004

In the years since the fall of General Socharto's authoritarian regime, Indonesia's uncertain democratisation process has included some efforts to reform the security sector. These reforms have principally aimed to assert civilian supremacy over Indonesian national li fe by limiting the military's involvement in political processes and reducing its function to a predominantly external defensc· role. There have also been initiatives to depart from the New Order's heavy-handed security approach in dealing with the armed separatist movements in Aceh, East Timor and Irian Jaya (now Papua) by emphasising dialogue, decentralisation and 'special autonomy' to achieve conflict resolution.

2005

E Ea as st t--W We es st t C Ce en nt te er r The East-West Center is an internationally recognized education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen understanding and relations between the United States and the countries of the Asia Pacific. Through its programs of cooperative study, training, seminars, and research, the Center works to promote a stable, peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific community in which the United States is a leading and valued partner. Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, private foundations, individuals, corporations, and a number of Asia Pacific governments. E Ea as st t--W We es st t C Ce en nt te er r W Wa as sh hi in ng gt to on n Established on September 1, 2001, the primary function of the East-West Center Washington is to further the East-West Center mission and the institutional objective of building a peaceful and prosperous Asia Pacific community through substantive programming activities focused on the theme of conflict reduction in the Asia Pacific region

Anthropological analyses of post conflict narratives reveal how strategic interests mobilize to resolve or perpetuate conflict. Three years after the 2005 Helsinki peace agreement between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that ended GAM’s thirty-year separatist rebellion, the author led a post conflict programming evaluation. Drawing upon qualitative interviews of rural informants for this study and using an anthropological approach to narrative analysis, this article argues that recovery narratives can be understood in terms of official and counter-official discourses, each utilizing strategic resources to amplify their interpretation of an unfolding peace process. Subaltern narratives heard most clearly are empowered because they adhere to narrative conventions proscribed by the peace agreement and other powerful discourses such as GAM’s separatist ideology. Other unrecognized voices are left out; their stories of recovery resist easy interpretation and sidestep clichéd narratives of peace. KEYWORDS: Aceh, Indonesia, narrative, post conflict, recovery, separatism,

Byron Good of Harvard Anthropology has been studying mental health as long as I have know him. With his wife, Mary Jo Good PhD he designed a research program for the embattled Acehnese of Northern Sumatra. I think we can all agree to pay Timor Leste the same service by treating their PTSD derived wouns.