Securitization of a Political Conflict in Southeast Asia: Disengaging the Indigenous Audience in West Papua

ABSTRACT The Indonesian government maintains a security approach to dealing with the armed conflict in West Papua. However, the state’s securitization results in more harm, evidenced by the increasing number of armed attacks in its Central Highlands. Why has the securitization failed to quell the conflict in West Papua? How and why does Indonesia’s government securitize the conflict? This article uses securitization theory to show three strategies the Indonesian government uses to address the conflict and how the government excludes Papuans. It further argues that examining the Papuan resistance is critical to elucidate the ineffectiveness of this securitization. It concludes that securitization must be deliberative in achieving security outcomes, and those would only prolong rather than halt the conflict if only relying on powerful actors.