Although the administration tried to protect the country’s democratic institutions, they were not always successful in mitigating communal conflicts that at times flared up into societal-wide communal violence.

The Soeharto regime did prevent nonstate actors from conducting terroristic attacks and communal violence and kept the country safe, although atrocities committed by the regime were widespread. Soeharto’s use of the military was condemned and criticized by the international community and non-government organizations.

Indonesia is a fairly new state compared with the West, which took hundreds of years to develop its humanitarian laws. Atrocities, abuses and random killings of its own people were committed within its own states till the late 20^th century.

Hence the learning curve needs to be established for Indonesia to prepare itself in the coming future for its national security policies to develop. Indonesia must be given a fair chance to improve and make the changes at its own pace regardless of what western interpretations dictate.

In response to a terrorist threat, Indonesia employed the full spectrum of counterterrorism measures, ranging from judicial prosecution to military-based special operations to conciliatory-based religious persuasion.

The civilian-led approach, that is coordinated through the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), is to focus on the joint efforts of the police, the judiciary and other government bodies in countering terrorism. With the police tasked with leading the defensively oriented antiterrorism effort in arresting and prosecuting through the court system, in accordance with the country’s Constitution and processes and regulations, hundreds of Islamist militants have been arrested and most successfully prosecuted.

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