A densely populated residential area at seen in the Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Since the 2002 Bali bombings, Indonesia has led the region in effective approaches to addressing violent extremism. However, the transnational reach of the Islamic State has brought with it new challenges. Some Indonesians have travelled to Syria and to the Philippines, drawn by the idea of a caliphate and a sense of righteousness in fighting what they see as threats to Islam. This coupled with the incidence of several attacks involving families such as the 2018 Surabaya bombings suggest that the nature of violent extremism continues to evolve.