ABSTRACT
Among the founders (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia’s efforts in shaping the institution’s behavior is interesting because despite being a small state, it has been successful in influencing ASEAN members by making them adopt the neutrality principle and implement important agreements such as the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the initiative of the East Asian Economic Caucus (which was finalized as ASEAN+3). With these ASEAN-led organizations, Malaysia found an effective platform for developing relations with China and the United States, and created an opportunity for ASEAN members to discuss disputes at an institutional platform. This chapter aims to answer the question to what extent Malaysia’s foreign policy and domestic politics have influenced the development of ASEAN as a regional organization. Specifically, this chapter investigates the reasons behind Malaysia’s efforts and aims to explain Malaysia’s neutrality approach in the context of ASEAN.
