Indonesia's Faltering Jihadist Movement Can Still Tap Into Age-Old Ethnic Tensions

Two attacks in Indonesia over the course of four days suggest that extremist violence is resuming there after a very quiet 2020. Recent jihadist plots and statements indicate a growing interest in targeting ethnic Chinese Indonesians in an attempt to exploit one of the darker fault lines in Indonesian society with a long history of lethal violence. Unlike previous episodes of anti-Chinese violence, a repeat in the current era would risk a response from a much more assertive and confident China. Jihadists, or others, could meanwhile exploit conflicts arising from political, economic, religious or commercial frictions to destabilize Indonesia in the near future. ...