Research@RSIS Newsletter Feedback Form
Malaysia’s Relations with the Major Powers: Changes and Continuity in the Midst of Complex Challenges
Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman Assistant Professor
Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman
1
This research project explores changes and continuity in Malaysia’s relations with the major powers, namely the United States and China. Although Malaysia’s ruling elites have constantly claimed that Malaysia’s foreign policy is independent, neutral and non-aligned in its engagement with the major powers, Malaysia’s ability to adhere to this principle has come under considerable pressure for three key reasons. First, former Prime Minister Najib Razak faced considerable political, economic, and social challenges to its legitimacy and survivability on the domestic front. Second, Malaysia has faced difficulties in maintain its autonomy in foreign policy because of the China-US rivalry in recent years, especially under recently ousted Prime Minister Najib. Thirdly, the fact that Barisan Nasional (BN) has lost federal power for the first time ever suggests that there may be a noticeable shift in terms of how Malaysia approaches foreign policy towards major powers.
| Theme: | International Political Economy / Regionalism and Multilateralism |
| Region: | Southeast Asia and ASEAN / Americas / East Asia and Asia Pacific |
| Entity: | IDSS |
