Publication Title

Australian Journal of International Affairs

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Rights

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract

Malaysia’s economic growth and democratisation since 2003 have vaulted it into the ranks of the middle powers in the international system. However, Malaysia remains hesitant about its middle power status. It has assumed a counterhegemonic or pro-multipolarity role; it has supported some new international rules and institutions; it leads regional governance institutions; and it advocates for small countries on development issues. However, these middle power behaviours are countered by a continuation of traditional Malaysia diplomacy which is inactive in shaping the emergence of superpower China as well as being disruptive and personalistic, most recently because of its embrace of radicalisms. It would require major shifts in international system structures and Malaysian national role conceptions for Malaysia to become a fully active middle power.

DOI

10.1080/10357718.2024.2398013

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43271

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

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