READOUT OF TRILATERAL WORKSHOP ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 TOKYO 001871 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J, S/CT E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2019 TAGS: PTER AS JA SUBJECT: READOUT OF TRILATERAL WORKSHOP ON COUNTER-RADICALIZATION TOKYO 00001871 001.2 OF 006 Classified By: CDA James P. Zumwalt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Japan hosted the U.S.-Japan-Australia Trilateral Workshop on Efforts to Empower Moderate Sectors of Society, July 27-28. Participants detailed assistance programs aimed at empowering credible institutions and voices in Southeast Asia. The Workshop also discussed diversifying education away from religion-based instruction as well as the potential for broadening law enforcement and prosecutorial training in Indonesia and the Philippines. Trilateral partners highlighted programs that focus on community policing and investigative methods and forensics, and explored the possibility of rehabilitating once-radicalized prisoners through vocational training. Workshop participants outlined several key challenges, including identifying appropriate aid recipients, devising ways to determine the effectiveness of ongoing de-radicalization efforts, and maintaining program sustainability. Delegation members expressed the positive force-multiplier effect of sharing research and polling results and in identifying areas of cooperation with local governments and communities. The trilateral partners will present the results of the Workshop during the Fifth Round of Trilateral Counterterrorism Consultations scheduled for Japan in December. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) hosted the U.S.-Japan-Australia Trilateral Workshop on Efforts to Empower Moderate Sectors of Society, July 27-28. The workshop is part of the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) Counterterrorism (CT) Consultations framework comprising annual Ambassador-level led interagency counterterrorism discussions centered on four principle policy themes--counter-radicalization, bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction, law enforcement and terrorism finance, and maritime security. Expert thematic working groups meet intercessionally during the year to explore areas of cooperation, share lessons learned, strengthen collaboration, and identify potential overlap. The Japan-hosted workshop follows the Trilateral Counter-radicalization Conference held in March 2008 in Honolulu and precedes the Fifth Round of TSD CT Consultations scheduled for Japan in December. -------------- Denouncing Recent Terrorist Attacks -------------- ¶3. (C) Participants opened the Workshop by universally condemning the July 17 terrorist bombings in Jakarta. MOFA International Counterterrorism Cooperation Division Director and Japanese delegation leader Katsuro Nagai conveyed his country's regret for the attacks and extended condolences to the Governments of Australia (GOA) and the United States for the deaths and injuries incurred during the bombings. The incidents highlighted the importance of holding the Workshop and reminded the participants of the urgency with which the trilateral partners needed to address the working topics: terrorist recruitment, radicalization, and violent extremism. Discussing priority areas of potential cooperation, sharing best practices, and strengthening coordination on existing projects will help foster deeper understanding and address the causes of incidents such as those on July 17, Nagai stressed. ¶4. (C) Participants also opened the session by seeking to dispel prevailing notions that equate Islam with radicalism and violence. Widespread religiosity among Muslims does not translate into widespread radicalization, they stressed from the beginning of the Workshop. -------------- -------------- Capacity Building in and Assistance to Southeast Asia -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Trilateral partners introduced their respective human exchange and assistance programs aimed at empowering credible institutions and voices in Southeast Asia. Delegation members agreed that sharing experiences and conveying best practices help pave the way for broader and deeper trilateral TOKYO 00001871 002.2 OF 006 cooperation. ¶6. (C) The Government of Japan takes a "multifaceted approach" to international cooperation and capacity building, Nagai explained. Japan is focusing on aid-based capacity building assistance for grassroots human security projects in areas such as health, medicine, gender, culture, and education. Japan is working with ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in the region; Japan and ASEAN have been holding annual CT dialogues since 2006, Nagai noted. Japan also is supporting "dialogue-generated" projects through the Japan-ASEAN Integrated Fund, such as counterterrorism research in Malaysia and terrorist rehabilitation programs in Indonesia. The involvement of several government agencies can complicate processes, Nagai admitted, but regional embassies and posts have a relatively "free hand" to identify local partners and provide overall project direction and management. ¶7. (C) The Japanese delegation broached discussions about diversifying education away from religion-based instruction. Many schools in Indonesia, for example, lack the resources to teach math and science, or subjects beyond the scope of Islamic pedagogy. Japan sees cultural exchange programs as an effective way to familiarize Muslim communities with different belief and education systems. Nagai specifically highlighted an invitation program for Indonesian madrassah teachers. Over the past few years, Japan has invited roughly 60 teachers from 17 Indonesian provinces and 43 madrassahs for the purpose of fostering "cultural understanding" and opening inter-faith dialogue. Program participants have responded favorably, Nagai mentioned. Visitors gained understanding of the compatibility between economic development and tradition and between Islamic values and those upheld by other groups. Japan has expanded the program to include Yemen and the Philippines, and is considering Pakistan as well. Nagai also highlighted the Japan Foundation's Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) program, an initiative by which Japan invites emerging artists and leaders from the Asia-Pacific region to stay in different residency programs and institutions across Japan. ¶8. (C) Japan's efforts in Indonesia also focus on police and law enforcement training, according to Embassy of Japan in Indonesia First Secretary Ryota Seijo. Using the Community Policing program (POLMAS),Japan has helped Jakarta introduce the Japanese police box ("koban," in Japanese) system in several districts. The system, claimed Seijo, has helped improve communication between the Indonesian National Police (INP) and members of local communities. ¶9. (C) U.S. delegation members expressed hope that U.S. assistance programs in Southeast Asia will help change perceptions that the United States sees foreign assistance, especially to communities with Muslim majorities, exclusively through the lens of counterterrorism. Embassy Jakarta POLOFF Katharine Rebholz explained the role U.S. programs play in providing humanitarian assistance, promoting democratic governance, investing in people, and fostering economic growth. U.S. officials briefly described the Diplomatic Security Anti-terrorism Assistance Program in Indonesia and the Philippines, State Department's International Visitors Program and Ambassador's Fund for Counterterrorism, as well as various Department of Justice programs, including the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT) Program and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) in Indonesia. Embassy Jakarta has worked to build the forensic capabilities of the INP through ICITAP and, in the process, has helped Indonesian authorities disrupt the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network. The U.S. delegation noted the importance, however, of Indonesian political commitment to countering terrorism and the benefits of providing assistance discreetly to allow credit for counterterrorism success to accrue to the Indonesian government. Japanese delegations members agreed that joint U.S.-Indonesian efforts continue to pay dividends resulting in the weakening of JI's TOKYO 00001871 003.2 OF 006 traditional structure. ¶10. (C) Australia is focusing on grass roots assistance programs in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Counterterrorism Branch Acting Assistant Secretary and Australian delegation head Greg Ralph noted. Canberra is cooperating with several Indonesian partners in areas such as prison reform and health and is conducting community visits to Australia for Indonesian and Thai police units. In the Philippines, Canberra has been partnering with academics, NGOs, and grass roots organizations and has been supporting peace-building activities in strife-torn Mindanao through grants from the Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding (SGIDU) Program. The SGIDU Program allows the GOA to team with reputable community groups, NGOs, and academic institutions to conduct various interfaith and intrafaith-based projects. Since 2006, 38 partners, including bishops, Moro groups, women's groups, and peace groups, have participated in 47 projects, including Christian-Muslim dialogues, youth camps, peace advocacy seminars, and television and radio broadcasts. Australia's Leadership Program aims to groom leaders who can bridge societal divides. The Young Leaders Program of National Defense College of the Philippines allows future leaders to exchange ideas about the role of Islam in democratic and multinational societies. ¶11. (C) The Australian delegation also described programs aimed at encouraging the Philippine media to be less "Manila-centric" and informing the Philippine people about the ethnic conflict in Mindanao. Canberra is working with local partners in creating Mindanao-based peace journalism content through Newsbreak, a popular on-line independent media publication. The Australians also provide support to the Moro Times, an Islamic content supplement to the Manila Times, the Philippines' longest running newspaper. Australia's efforts parallel past U.S. initiatives, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and U.S. delegation head Ron Post observed, adding that Philippine Muslims, albeit, only six percent of the total Philippine population, are not well represented in the media and are happy to see themselves portrayed positively. -------------- - Broad Efforts Toward Countering Radicalization -------------- - ¶12. (C) Japan sees technical assistance and rehabilitation and vocational training programs as ways to de-radicalize potential terrorists. The Foreign Ministry-affiliated Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has expanded assistance in basic education, which has helped overall efforts, Institute of Science and Technology Research Fellow Katsuhisa Furukawa assessed. JICA programs are targeting pesantrens, or Islamic boarding schools, with positive results. Pesantren instructors appreciate the outreach and interaction, Furukawa noted. In its de-radicalization efforts, Japan can also draw lessons from dealing with domestic terrorist groups such as Aum Shinrikyo, Furukawa highlighted. ¶13. (C) U.S. delegation members highlighted President Obama's inauguration speech and recent visits to Turkey and Egypt as signaling the United State's new relationship with Islamic communities and as ushering a policy approach that emphasizes global people-to-people engagement. Smart power offers a full range of diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural tools against radicalization. Citizen diplomacy, cultural activity, person-to-person contact, economic cooperation and development, and the application of media and academic resources are also key components in the U.S. response to violent extremism, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism Regional Adviser Daniel Mahanty underscored. ¶14. (C) Public diplomacy (PD) is a critical part of the aforementioned soft power approach and can be used in a CT TOKYO 00001871 004.2 OF 006 context, Post stressed. PD involves gaining the target audience's attention before beginning the process of engagement, persuasion, and cooperation. For such a model to work, concerned parties must harbor respect for the belief system of the host country. Cultures offer different, yet equally valid, ways of seeing, perceiving, and processing, and thus highlighting differences is as important as noting commonalities and common values. ¶15. (C) On countering violent extremism, the Australian delegation emphasized the importance of identifying efficiency gaps in existing programs. Australia is "going back to basics" on figuring out targets, objectives, and best ways to sustain longterm efforts, Australian Attorney General's Department National Security Branch Director Leanne Loan said. Canberra's strategy is four-fold: identifying and disrupting violent extremists using intelligence networks and community officers, identifying potential converts to radicalism, working with communities to build "social cohesion," and, lastly, communicating with and persuading vulnerable societal elements. ¶16. (C) Monash University researcher and DFAT officer Kate Berrelle used social psychology-based identity theory to explain terrorist recruitment and motivations. The way people identify themselves and prioritize the different parts of their identity, such as personal identity, social identity, and "human identity," often determines with whom they associate or disassociate. People who share common identities are likely to form allegiances. -------------- Challenges Ahead -------------- ¶17. (C) Workshop participants outlined several key challenges. They highlighted the difficulty of engaging, while avoiding the legitimization of, would-be terrorists. They also cited the challenge of dispelling potential perceptions that assistance programs are agenda-based. U.S. delegation members stressed that security assistance is most effective when done discreetly and when success is credited to the local partner organization. Limiting the government donor footprint and letting the NGO, for example, take credit is critical. ¶18. (C) Identifying appropriate recipients, targets, and projects poses additional struggles. Ralph mentioned that scholarship and aid programs, for example, often target subjects who have English proficiency and strong grades, but the disadvantaged groups "should be the real recipients." Further difficulty arises when governments and partner organizations identify different targets. There must be synergy between governments and NGOs, stressed Furukawa. ¶19. (C) Measuring de-radicalization and clarifying de-radicalization thresholds are additional hurdles. There will always be skepticism about the ability of terrorists to change their views, but "it is possible," Barrelle mentioned. She stressed the importance of longterm follow-up in order to measure rehabilitation and change. The Australian delegation also noted that separating the radicalist from radical behavior, and not necessarily from radical ideology, might be a more practical and realistic goal. ¶20. (C) On program sustainability, Australian delegation members emphasized the importance of partners obtaining government buy-in early and for smaller partners to link with larger partners. Accurate project assessments and accounting and efficient use of resources are additional keys to program longevity. ¶21. (C) Trilateral partners cited the growing prevalence of the Internet and use of social Web sites as "weapons" of radicalization. The number of radical sites in Bahasa Malay has increased from 15 in 2007 to 117 in 2009, cited Furukawa. Participants suggested including an intercessional workshop on the use of the Internet, considering the significant role TOKYO 00001871 005.2 OF 006 the medium plays in terrorist recruitment. ¶22. (C) Finally, a consensus emerged among delegations that the use of the term "moderate" to describe groups or individuals, Muslim or otherwise, can delegitimize intended audiences and communities, and should be avoided. -------------- Next Steps -------------- ¶23. (C) Workshop participants expressed the positive force-multiplier effect of sharing research and polling results and in identifying areas of cooperation with local governments and communities. They agreed on the need to be alert for opportunities for collaboration, cooperation, and coordination to maximize the impact of CT resources. They also raised the importance of avoiding program overlap. ¶24. (C) The Japanese raised the G-8 Counterterrorism Action Group (CTAG),established in 2003 to expand counterterrorism capacity building assistance in third countries, as a mechanism to strengthen collaboration, particularly on law enforcement assistance initiatives. ¶25. (C) The three delegations agreed on the importance of providing regular updates on TSD partner efforts. To this end, they mentioned the possibility of keeping live records that listed each country's respective projects. They also sought to utilize missions and field offices abroad to exchange information. ¶26. (C) U.S. delegation members suggested consolidating the counter-radicalization and law enforcement subgroups during the Ambassador-level talks scheduled for December, since both sessions involve several of the same topics and interlocutors. ¶27. (C) The results of the Workshop will be presented to the Fifth Round of Trilateral CT Consultations scheduled for Japan in December. Participants commended Nagai and the Japanese side for taking the initiative in planning the CT events and, particularly for Nagai, the energy they displayed during the two days. -------------- Participants -------------- ¶28. (U) Delegation Members: United States: Ronald Post, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, Embassy Tokyo Daniel Mahanty, Regional Adviser, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, State Department Michael Cox, Representative, Department of Homeland Security, Embassy Tokyo Katharine Rebholz, Political Officer, Embassy Jakarta Jamie Roane, Political Officer, Embassy Tokyo Japan: Katsuro Nagai, Director, International Counterterrorism Cooperation Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Maiko Ishizaki, Officer, International Counterterorism Cooperation Division, MOFA Atsushi Nakatani, Assistance Director, Counter International Terrorism Division (CITD),Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Department (FAID),Security Bureau (SB),National Police TOKYO 00001871 006.2 OF 006 Agency (NPA) Masato Kondo, Officer, CITD, FAID, SB, NPA Takuya Takita, Officer, CITD, FAID, SB, NPA Tadashi Imai, Supervisory Chief Intelligence Officer, Second Intelligence Department, Second Division, Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) Ryota Seijo, First Secretary, Political Section, Embassy Jakarta Katsuhisa Furukawa, Fellow, Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society Australia: Greg Ralph, Acting Assistant Secretary, Counterterrorism Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Leanne Loan, Director, National Security Policy Branch, Attorney General's Department Kate Barrelle, Monash University Global Terrorism Research Center; Officer, Counterterrorism Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Nicole Guihot, First Secretary, Embassy Manila Lori Snowden, First Secretary, Embassy Tokyo ZUMWALT