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Open Spaces, Deep Fault Lines Exposed

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The Bondi Beach shooting and the attack at Brown University are no longer just tragedies to be mourned; they are warnings that demand serious, even uncomfortable, reflection. These incidents did not occur on battlefields or at hardened government targets. They unfolded in places defined by openness: a beachside celebration and a university exam hall - spaces meant to symbolise safety, normalcy, and shared civic life. Their significance lies not only in the number of casualties, but in what they reveal about how modern violence exploits routine, predictability, and complacency. At Bondi Beach, the attack took place during a Hanukkah gathering, turning a communal religious celebration into a scene of terror. Multiple people were killed, dozens injured, and even police officers were wounded in the chaos. One attacker was killed, another apprehended, and the incident was quickly framed by authorities as terrorism. This framing matters. It signals that the violence was not merely spon...
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Violence Reaches Everywhere, Even the Familiar

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The shootings at Bondi Beach and Brown University are not isolated aberrations; they are part of a wider and troubling pattern in which violence increasingly intrudes into spaces once considered safe, ordinary, and socially cohesive. Beaches, campuses, shopping areas, religious gatherings, and cultural events have all, at different times and in different countries, become stages for lethal attacks. What distinguishes Bondi and Brown is not novelty, but how clearly, they illustrate the evolving nature of public violence: its targets, its logic, and its consequences. Bondi Beach represents one category of violence that has appeared repeatedly over the past two decades: attacks on open, symbolic public spaces. Similar incidents have occurred at promenades, concert venues, markets, and holiday destinations across the world. The logic is brutally simple. Such spaces offer dense crowds, minimal security, and maximum visibility. When an attack coincides with a cultural or religious gath...
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Strengthening Migration Systems to Prevent Extremism

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Note:  In Kuala Lumpur on 12 December 2025, the High Court sentenced 29-year-old Bangladeshi national Mohammad Didarul Alam to 10 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to supporting the Islamic State/Daesh terrorist group through social media activities on Facebook. The charge, under Section 130J(1)(a) of the Malaysian Penal Code, carries a maximum penalty of up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a fine, and forfeiture of property used in the offence.  Investigations by the Royal Malaysia Police’s Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division (E8M) determined that Alam used an account named Al Mubin Islam to post and share propaganda content including photos, videos, statements, and images linked to Daesh/IS. A translated analysis confirmed the material’s link to the extremist group.  Despite having no prior criminal record, prosecutors argued the offence posed a serious threat to national security , and urged a strong sentence to deter others , particularly foreign nationals...
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New U.S. Security Strategy Reframes ASEAN’s Choices

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The United States’ 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) arrives at a moment when ASEAN is grappling with intensifying great-power rivalry, a shifting global economic order, and persistent uncertainty in the South China Sea. While Washington’s new blueprint is meant to reinforce U.S. leadership and uphold a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” its implications for Southeast Asia are more complicated than the document admits. From maritime security to technology governance and economic resilience, the NSS reframes ASEAN’s strategic options - narrowing some, expanding others, and placing Malaysia and its neighbours at a crossroads where hedging becomes harder and neutrality more contested. For ASEAN, the most consequential element of the NSS is its framing of China as the United States’ “primary strategic competitor.” This language sets the tone for an approach that privileges deterrence, forward military presence, and mini-lateral security partnerships such as AUKUS and the Quad. Altho...
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Delaware: Foiled Plot Highlights Hidden Security Risks

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A recently thwarted attack in Delaware reveals important lessons for countries like Malaysia that are experiencing rising inflows of legal and illegal migrants. The incident involved a former university student who was stopped during a routine late-night patrol. What seemed like a minor infraction quickly escalated when police discovered a cache of modified firearms, extended magazines, tactical armour and a notebook filled with detailed plans, including sketches of a targeted police station and tactics resembling “urban warfare.” A subsequent home search uncovered additional weapons and planning materials. The suspect reportedly expressed ideological motivations, framing violent martyrdom as an aspiration. What stands out is how ordinary the individual’s background appeared from the outside: a student, an immigrant who had been in the system for years, with no obvious outward signs of extremism. The case illustrates how major security threats can emerge from individuals who appe...
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Cross-Border Threats and Malaysia’s Security Vulnerabilities

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The November 2025 National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C. in which a lone gunman ambushed two U.S. service members near one of the most heavily defended political zones in the world - underscores a central reality of modern security: even sophisticated systems can fail when intelligence coordination, surveillance, and situational awareness break down. The attack’s symbolism lies not only in its location but in its exposure of institutional blind spots. For Malaysia, the incident offers important lessons for understanding long-standing vulnerabilities in Sabah’s eastern maritime frontier, the northern peninsula bordering Thailand’s Patani region, and the ongoing process of strengthening border governance through the newly established Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS). The Washington shooting demonstrates that visible patrols or physical barricades alone cannot guarantee security; effective protection requires anticipatory intelligence, rapid coordination, and...
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Retain SOSMA: Fortify Malaysia’s National Security Architecture

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Malaysia’s Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) continues to occupy a contentious place in national discourse. Since replacing the Internal Security Act (ISA), SOSMA has been scrutinised for its implications on civil liberties, with critics urging its repeal and supporters defending it as a vital tool for safeguarding national security. A recent political call noting that the government has “two years left” to abolish SOSMA has reignited this debate. Yet in a world marked by rising extremism, hybrid warfare, sophisticated criminal networks, and foreign subversion, the question Malaysia must confront is not whether SOSMA should be abolished, but how it should be enhanced. Retaining SOSMA with structural reforms, stronger oversight, and precise operational scope is essential for strengthening Malaysia’s resilience against the complexities of modern security threats. The global security environment is no longer defined by conventional threats alone. Transnational te...
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