Daniel Pascoe
Sessions
"Capital Drug Laws in Asia" was published by Cambridge University Press in July 2025. The book offers a critical examination of the laws and policies governing the control of illicit drugs in various Asian jurisdictions. It focuses particularly on the strategies employed to address drug-related offences, with a special emphasis on the use of the death penalty. A range of jurisdictions—especially in Southeast Asia—have been deliberately selected to highlight the diversity of approaches within the “war on drugs” debate.
Key areas examined include the use of criminal law to combat drug offences, the motivations behind drug offenders, public support for punitive sanctions, the structure and interpretation of relevant laws, procedural rights of the accused, the use of mandatory versus discretionary sentences, and the imposition of the death penalty.
Six contributing authors will present the main themes of their respective chapters as well as offer their reflections, updates, and insights drawn from their ongoing research related to the book’s central themes.
This panel will consider key contemporary issues in law, governance and security in Asia, with a particular focus on Indonesia, including national security laws, the role of the military, and limitations on freedom of expression.
National security laws and policies must evolve with the changing nature of multidimensional threats, following best-practice responses. The Republic of Indonesia is no exception. Security threats to Indonesia as a nation now involve a broad range of actors, across areas such as social unrest, terrorism, natural disasters, pandemics, cyber threats and transnational criminal organisations. In recent years, Indonesian law has been slow to keep pace. Indonesia not only maintains a military-centric approach to national security law and practice , but also perpetuates a fragmented web of sometimes-conflicting legal instruments, leading to institutional rivalry and inefficiency.
This paper evaluates Indonesia's legislative approach to national security. The paper first explores the prevailing security threats in Indonesia, including security threats generally overlooked within government and public discourse. Next, the paper brings all of Indonesia’s security-related laws and regulations together in one place, analysing the historical development of Indonesia’s national security laws to date and assessing whether these laws are still fit for purpose, noting Indonesia’s longstanding preference for a military-based approach over a civil-based one in shaping its national security policies. The paper concludes by suggesting areas of potential reform, both for the country itself and for similarly-situated nations looking to Indonesia as an example.