Hosting Trump seen as strategic engagement, not endorsement, says ISIS chairman

Institute of Strategy & International Strategies (ISIS Malaysia) Chairperson Datuk Prof Dr Faiz Abdullah said Malaysia’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is guided by the need for "strategic diplomacy", maintaining engagement with all global powers, even those with whom it may disagree.

"It’s not about being overdependent. It’s about the reality of what we have.

"We have to balance between the need to enforce our strategic diplomacy and at the same time ensure that we are not wholly dependent on any party," said Faiz at his book launch, 'Strategic Shifts: Preparing Malaysia for a Turbulent Future' in Kuala Lumpur.

While Faiz acknowledged that the move of hosting Trump has sparked domestic criticisms, with some accusing Malaysia of "sanctioning genocide", he described that as a misperception.

"I think they’ve got it all wrong. That is clear, not just myopic, but a very strategic misperception on how foreign policy is conducted", said Faiz, impressing the point that engagement does not equate to endorsement.

He also emphasised that Malaysia's position as ASEAN chair leaves it little room to exclude any major global actors from regional dialogues.

Other than that, Faiz also revealed that Anwar has not received comparable outreach from the former Biden administration compared to the current Trump's administration.

"Biden never bothered to call, never bothered to give an indication that he wanted to talk," said Faiz.

He also noted that Anwar could use the meeting with Trump to raise pressing humanitarian concerns.

"This will be a face-to-face opportunity. Anwar Ibrahim is definitely going to raise and talk about the issues of Palestine as well," he said.