Primary Researcher: Jeff Lewis

Understanding the background to the Bali bombings of 12 October 2002 entails more than simply finding out who was part of the terrorist network. Two key reports have suggested that weaknesses in the central Indonesian government have contributed significantly to the conditions that framed the bombings. Reports by the International Crisis Group (2004) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (2003) have claimed that both the Wahid and Megawati presidencies failed to address military and governmental corruption and the growing security threats posed by militant Islamicist groups like Jamaah Islamiyah and Laskar Jihad. These reports, along with other commentaries, also suggest that the crisis of governmentality is linked more broadly to Indonesia's struggling economy-most particularly as it is associated with the Asian monetary crisis of 1997 and decades of corrupt mismanagement by the Soeharto New Order regime.

Bali is critical to the transformation process in Indonesia. It provides essential export income funds as a tourist destination, and it is a major conduit to global economic and cultural integration. Not surprisingly, the Indonesian Government and major donor organizations like the United Nations Development Program are supporting a tourism-led recovery for Bali. The aim of the current research project is to examine the viability and efficacy of such a recovery. In particular, the research examines the background to the bombings and the ways in which the local communities perceive recovery within a context of national transformation and globalization. The research seeks to uncover tensions across and within these communities which may hinder recovery, especially in terms of the national government's political and social agenda. The research applies open interview techniques and works with key informants and general community members.