Malaysia and the United States : rejecting dominance, embracing engagement

Abstract

This paper explains Malaysia-US relations in terms of national interests derived from the the nature of the Malaysian political economy and the salience of Islam in Malay(sian) politics as they interact with US foreign policy derived from distinct US grand strategies. The paper compares Malaysia's responses to the US under the Clinton and the first George W Bush Administrations in terms of the following: (a) instances of cooperation and non-cooperation on key US initiatives; (b) pursuit of alternative economic and defence/security relationships; and (c) construction of alternative discourses and coalitions aimed at challenging US initiatives and its hegemony more broadly. Malaysia's responses to the US can be summed up in the phrase, 'rejecting dominance, embracing engagement', evident during both the Clinton and the Bush Administrations and consistent under the Mahathir and the current Abdullah Badawi governments. The Malaysian government's attempts to develop coalitions to challenge US initiatives and its hegemony have not always been successful. The government has, nonetheelss, stood firm and rejected US initiatives and actions that directly threatened national interests. The US, on its part, has accommodated itself to Malaysia's positions on a number of occasions since September 11, reflecting Malaysia's valuable role in Washington's fight against terrorism. Both governments also cooperate extensively in economics, defence and transnational crime from which both parties draw benefits.