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Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89

This article analyzes Malaysia’s changing policies toward China and other big powers during the period 1971-1989, as a case to illustrate how and why smaller states adjust their alignment choices in the wake of reduced strategic commitment of their big power patrons the way they do. It argues that i...

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Main Author: Cheng Chwee, Kuik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit UKM 2010
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/342/1/1.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/342/
http://www.ukm.my/jebat
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spelling my-ukm.journal.3422016-12-14T06:27:06Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/342/ Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89 Cheng Chwee, Kuik This article analyzes Malaysia’s changing policies toward China and other big powers during the period 1971-1989, as a case to illustrate how and why smaller states adjust their alignment choices in the wake of reduced strategic commitment of their big power patrons the way they do. It argues that it was due to the changing distribution of regional power in the face of the British East of Suez policy and the American retreat from mainland Southeast Asia in the late 1960s – in conjunction with domestic political considerations in the post-1969 period – that had compelled Malaysia’s ruling elite to replace the country’s long-standing pro-West policy with a new posture of “non-alignment” and “regional neutralization”. In the view of the elite, in order to get the big powers to recognize and guarantee the region as an area of neutrality, the Southeast Asian states should acknowledge and accommodate each of the major powers’ “legitimate interests”, while observing a policy of “equidistance” with all the powers. This new alignment posture necessitated the Tun Razak government to adjust its China policy, paving way for the Malaysia-China rapprochement of the early 1970s. Penerbit UKM 2010 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/342/1/1.pdf Cheng Chwee, Kuik (2010) Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89. Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, 37 . pp. 31-54. ISSN 2180-0251 http://www.ukm.my/jebat
institution Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
building Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
content_source UKM Journal Article Repository
url_provider http://journalarticle.ukm.my/
language English
description This article analyzes Malaysia’s changing policies toward China and other big powers during the period 1971-1989, as a case to illustrate how and why smaller states adjust their alignment choices in the wake of reduced strategic commitment of their big power patrons the way they do. It argues that it was due to the changing distribution of regional power in the face of the British East of Suez policy and the American retreat from mainland Southeast Asia in the late 1960s – in conjunction with domestic political considerations in the post-1969 period – that had compelled Malaysia’s ruling elite to replace the country’s long-standing pro-West policy with a new posture of “non-alignment” and “regional neutralization”. In the view of the elite, in order to get the big powers to recognize and guarantee the region as an area of neutrality, the Southeast Asian states should acknowledge and accommodate each of the major powers’ “legitimate interests”, while observing a policy of “equidistance” with all the powers. This new alignment posture necessitated the Tun Razak government to adjust its China policy, paving way for the Malaysia-China rapprochement of the early 1970s.
format Article
author Cheng Chwee, Kuik
spellingShingle Cheng Chwee, Kuik
Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
author_facet Cheng Chwee, Kuik
author_sort Cheng Chwee, Kuik
title Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
title_short Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
title_full Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
title_fullStr Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing Malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
title_sort analyzing malaysia's changing alignment choices, 1971-89
publisher Penerbit UKM
publishDate 2010
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/342/1/1.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/342/
http://www.ukm.my/jebat
_version_ 1643734683789295616
score 13.211869

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