[1] President Trump has upended international relations in unimaginable ways. Traditional diplomacy, ideology, long-standing relationships, even treaty obligations matter little to him. His disdain for the post-war world order that America itself built is obvious. He appears constrained only by the limits of his own ego. What makes him particularly dangerous is that he is both unpredictable and reckless to boot.

[2] His vision of a new world order – premised upon the principle of America First; the rest of the world be dammed – is a crude attempt to make America great again at the expense of the global community. 

[3] Canada, Europe and China are now pushing back. Others might follow suite. Whether they will be able to rein in Trump’s worst instincts is left to be seen. In the meantime, nations are having to adjust to the Trump presidency, gauging how best to respond to his abrasive and transactional style. 

[4] Given the significance of the US market and the importance of American investments, Putrajaya will have to tread carefully.  Under Trump, three issues are likely to loom large in Malaysia-US relations – trade, Palestine and China. 

[5] On the economic front, there could be some friction over Malaysia’s RM73 billion trade surplus (2023) with the US, small though it may be in terms of the overall USD 1 trillion US trade deficit. Washington is also unlikely to look kindly on strategies that help China get around American tariff and non-tariff barriers or any sharing of technology with China. Anything that is perceived as being disadvantageous to America could come under scrutiny. 

[6] Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim very vocal support for Hamas has been a sticking point with Washington. Trump could go further than former President Biden, insisting that Malaysia not only distance itself from Hamas but also adopt a more conciliatory stance towards Israel. This would put Putrajaya in an impossible situation. Toning down the rhetoric, allowing Arab nations to deal with Washington on the issue and channelling support for Palestine through UN agencies (instead of directly) will help.

[7] The biggest challenge, however, is likely to come from growing tensions between the US and China which is increasingly viewed as the real threat to American dominance. All sorts of new conditionalities to contain China – military, economic and technological – will follow. Countries like Malaysia which are close to China or are being used as a backdoor to the US market will be viewed with some suspicion. Balancing our relations between Washington and Beijing is about to get more complicated and will require adroit handling.

[8] Under Trump, the long-established bilateral framework premised upon our strategic location, mutually beneficial economic ties, shared democratic values, decades of cooperation on global issues, etc., will not matter much. And neither will our much-vaunted chairmanship of ASEAN impress Trump. This leaves us with little real leverage when it comes to dealing with Washington.

[9] To survive Trump and the chaos he is creating, Malaysia will need to quickly up its diplomatic game, eschewing nationalistic responses in favour of hardnosed pragmatism. There’s really nothing to be gained from engaging Trump directly either by visiting the White House or via phone calls. As President Zelensky discovered, it’s hard to have a decent conversation with a mercurial and obnoxious man who makes up his own facts, has little appreciation of global realities and bullies at random. A bad visit is worse than no visit at all. 

[10] We need to quickly build a strong diplomatic presence in Washington DC with all the resources that are need for effective representation.  Finding the right man to helm our diplomacy with America will be crucial. For too long we have sent mediocre personalities to Washington; our bilateral relations have suffered for it.

[11] Tengku Zafrul Aziz is about the only candidate worth considering – he has handled the MITI portfolio well, is able to network with American business leaders, is experienced on trade, investments and geopolitical economic cross-currents and has the personality, stamina and forbearance for the job. To empower him to speak for the government with stronger credibility, his ambassadorship should come with cabinet status as well.   

[12] Though Trump will undoubtedly do damage to the fabric of international and bilateral relations, the good news is that he will not be there for ever. All we have to do is sit tight, be smart, make all the right noises, give away as little as possible and wait for American voters to weary of him, as they invariably will.

Dennis Ignatius |Kuala Lumpur | Saturday, 8th May 2025