ABSTRACT
Malaysia’s international profile and engagements have been perhaps less actively contested or vacillating than its domestic politics and policy. Even here, though, Malaysia has changed tack with economic transformations, strategic realignments, security flash-points, leadership transitions, and fluctuating visions of what Malaysia’s place and priorities should be. While Malaysia is an active, founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a trusted defence and trading partner with Asian and ‘Western’ states alike, Malaysia’s regional and global position has not been entirely consistent. Rather, Malaysian foreign policy reveals both complementary and conflicting goals for the country’s orientation vis-à-vis the region, a global ummah (Muslim community), and the international scene.
