The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam

by Christopher S. Bond, Lewis M. Simons

A U.S. senator and Pulitzer Prizewinner, both experts on Southeast Asia, offer a bold new approach to address radical Islam and fight global terror The next front in the war on terror is in Southeast Asia, warn Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Lewis Simons, both leading experts on the region. The U.S. has bankrupted its policies in dealing with the Islamic world. As Fundamentalist Islam gains traction in Southeast Asia, backed by Saudi money, the U.S. must act swiftly to re-establish its credibility there and help defuse global terrorism. Bond and Simons present a bold plan to accomplish this key goal by substituting smart power (civilians in sneakers and sandals) for force (soldiers in combat boots) in Indonesia and the other nations of Southeast Asia, home to the world's greatest concentration of Muslims. The Next Front offers exactly the kind of fresh, out-of-the-box thinking the United States needs to rebuild its credibility and transcend its foreign policy failures.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2009

About the author

Christopher Samuel Bond was an American attorney and politician from Missouri. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from 1987 to 2011, following two non-consecutive terms as the governor of Missouri from 1973 to 1977 and 1981 to 1985, and two years as State Auditor of Missouri from 1971 to 1973. His first election as governor ended a 28-year Democratic streak in that office.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, Bond defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53–47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004. On January 8, 2009, he announced that he would not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2010, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Roy Blunt on January 3, 2011. Following his retirement from the Senate, Bond became a partner at Thompson Coburn.

Reviews

[Baljit · Rating 4 out of 5]

While US and the western world focus On the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan in thier fight against global terrorism, a 'green tide' has been emerging over the past 20 yrs in South East Asia. Not since the war in Vietnam has US given the nations of South East Asia the attention it deserves and this is a grave error. Indonesia alone has more Muslims then the entire Middle East, and a combination of Arab influence, poverty and outrage at American's policies has made it a fertile breeding ground for extremism. Malaysia is a held as shining example amongst many Muslim countries, modern and moderate, it has one of the highest GNP's of Muslim countires. However, the infiltration of Arab culture is apparent esp since 9/11, and what are the implications for Msia's political and economic future. This book also traces the struggles of the Muslim Moros of southern Phillipines and the Muslims of southern Thailand. Americans seldom pay attention to other nations until they are perceived to be a threat, then they find themselves lacking in understanding. The writers meet ppl at all levels of SE Asian society and understand the issues facing them and listen to thier opinions of America, its policies and what they would advise the Obama Govt to do in thier fight againt terrorism

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpectedly insightful, intelligent book, particularly given that I have never been a fan of Kit Bond, the republican senator from Missouri. The basic argument is that SE Asia is home to huge populations of Muslims and has the potential to become a hot spot for terrorist groups, particularly since there is increased communication with the Middle East now. The authors' argument is that the US should take a more intelligent approach to heading this off by providing educational and economic assistance on the ground in these countries, rather than waiting until things become more of a problem and we have to resort to military force, which we have seen is not very effective. The authors have great insight into how the rest of the world views Americans and why they have these views. They suggest that in order to come to terms with the world's Muslims we need to learn from and pay respect to their history. They say we need to have long-term strategies and that we should do things like expand the Peace Corps and the state department rather than the military. Finally a Republican advocating a reasonable approach. What a breath of fresh air!

[Jwduke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an eye opener to the lands Americans prefer to ignore; at their own peril. What I appreciate the most is the interviews. You want an introduction to the players in these lands? Then you should be reading this book. Everyone from the Lee clan, kilcullen, crumpter is even mentioned.