How Southeast Asia’s diplomatic dance sidesteps great power ensnarement

In today’s rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, nations are forced to navigate an increasingly complex and precarious set of global alignments. The world is not yet fully multipolar, but we are seeing more nuanced forms of engagement that can be described as “multi-multi” behaviour.

These include “multi-alignment” – entering conditional, context-specific partnerships while maintaining strategic loyalty – and being “multi-regional” – leveraging the growing influence of regional blocs in global and regional affairs.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto are two leaders navigating this shifting landscape through a “multi-multi” strategy.

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Anwar Ibrahim on navigating Malaysia through China-US tensions | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo