Who we are & how do we engage with the world?

Our country, Malaysia is an active member of various international organisations, including:

the Commonwealth of Nations,

the United Nations and many of its specialized agencies, including

• UNESCO,
• World Bank,
• International Monetary Fund,
• International Atomic Energy Agency;
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade,
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations;
• Asian Development Bank,
• Five-Power Defense Arrangement,
• South Centre,
• East Asia Summit (EAS),
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),
• The Commonwealth,
• Non-Aligned Movement, and
• Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Under the leadership of Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohammad, Malaysia’s foreign policy stance began to take a much greater economic orientation that before.

Coupled with a strong and nationalistic defence of the rights, interest and aspirations of developing countries and the advocacy of south-south co-operation and also a program of outreach to Islamic countries through the OIC.

Other issues the are interesting for discussions:

• Relations with Singapore
• Spratly islands and Limbang,
• Foreign migrants (Indonesian and Filipino migrants)
• Malaysia’s Foreign Policy Principle
• Islamic Positions (Palestine, Iraq, Islamic terrorism)
• 9MP on Federal Government Development Allocation and Expenditure for Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Concert of Power

We have had some serious stuff while enjoying the sunshine in Bohol – Concert Of Power

One the the topic discussed today was the rising of power:US, India, China, Russia etc including the Non-Sovereign power: EU. These powers formed the multi-polar situation today vs the 2 headed (US vs Soviet) in the cold war days.

The concern raised was on international security as there is no more referee on the playing field, although the sphere of influences has increased and filling in the local vacuum.

Questions of national interest:

• “Pre-emptive strike”
• Nuclear Arm Development in N.K. (DPRK)
• Territorial: China in Palawan
• Smaller countries vulnerable
• Leverage – arms supply access from other power
• unstable – dealing with more bully and hypocrites = harder to monitor

Talking about Sovereignty, this concert of power actually aserts soveriegnty but with a flip side: limitation of assertion.

Would this increase Economic Openness? Yes, but will form into limited trading blocs like cold war. However these blocs are depending on each other: bilateral trades but more choices compare with unipolar fabrics (however, it’s very cumbersome).This way, trade sanctions can actually be overcome.

Sigh, it has revert international politics to the jurassic era.

Globalization does not happen in a vacuum, there is a need to put the political frame work in place – a wrong politics could put everything into drain as it has before.

Anti-globalization movement have to keep in mind what they wished for.