The unlikely marriage of counterterrorism and Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Indonesia

This article examines Indonesia’s strategic shift from a “hard” counterterrorism approach to a gender-sensitive, community-based strategy for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) between 2016 and 2021. It analyses Indonesia’s shift from traditional security-centric responses, which emphasised law enforcement and military actions, to community engagement and human rights-based approaches influenced by women-led civil society organisations (CSOs). This shift underscores inclusion and gender in prevention strategies. Drawing on feminist mobilisation and norm localisation theories, particularly the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda, this research explores the institutionalisation of gender-responsive approaches. While acknowledging the importance of religious moderation as a counternarrative to extremist ideologies – a prominent discourse in Indonesian foreign policy since 2004— this article critiques the securitisation of gender within counterterrorism frameworks. It underscores how this “Moderate Islamic” ideology shapes both domestic and international P/CVE strategies. This study demonstrates how Indonesia’s approach is a potential model for broader application within the Global South through a literature review, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and process tracing. Ultimately, it offers valuable lessons for integrating the WPS Agenda into P/CVE efforts while addressing challenges related to policy sustainability, effectiveness, and balancing domestic norms with global counterterrorism expectations.