In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China
Existing literature on Malaysia-China relations have conveniently relied more on external and geopolitical variables, where hedging is perceived as the only viable foreign policy (FP) within the context of the rise of China and corresponding security dilemmas in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) pr...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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National Sun Yat-sen University
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://icaps.nsysu.edu.tw/static/file/131/1131/img/CCPS-V7N3-MdKhalid-Azman.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819279436789317632 |
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| author | Khadijah Md Khalid Muhammad Danial Azman |
| author_facet | Khadijah Md Khalid Muhammad Danial Azman |
| author_sort | Khadijah Md Khalid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Existing literature on Malaysia-China relations have conveniently relied more on external and geopolitical variables, where hedging is perceived as the only viable foreign policy (FP) within the context of the rise of China and corresponding security dilemmas in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects and the South China Sea (SCS). By adopting a foreign policy analysis (FPA) framework of FP decision-making (i.e., the process) and a Neo-Gramscian perspective of state-business relations (SBRs), with a particular focus on domestic political shifts from the Najib to Mahathir administrations, we study the hegemonic forces at play in the business-ruling elite nexus, resistance to attempted FP recalibration after the 2018 election, the interplay between domestic and international distinctions, as well as formal and informal individual agency in various dimensions of bilateral ties. Drawing on elite interviews, and key secondary literature in global FPA, Malaysia’s FP, and domestic politics, this study offers a provocative premise: domestic constraints and FP dilemmas. Our findings illuminate three lessons that Malaysian policymakers and researchers have to learn with regard to this bilateral relationship: (a) foreign policymakers are not a tabula rasa; (b) they must move away from hedging prescriptions; and (c) the need for a critical turn in the FPA framework. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:27:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffa8649b041d44a1938b7c0f9d25f1d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2410-9681 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:27:53Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | National Sun Yat-sen University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffa8649b041d44a1938b7c0f9d25f1d72022-12-21T17:24:24ZengNational Sun Yat-sen UniversityContemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal2410-96812021-12-017310811189In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards ChinaKhadijah Md Khalid0Muhammad Danial Azman1University of MalayaUniversity of MalayaExisting literature on Malaysia-China relations have conveniently relied more on external and geopolitical variables, where hedging is perceived as the only viable foreign policy (FP) within the context of the rise of China and corresponding security dilemmas in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects and the South China Sea (SCS). By adopting a foreign policy analysis (FPA) framework of FP decision-making (i.e., the process) and a Neo-Gramscian perspective of state-business relations (SBRs), with a particular focus on domestic political shifts from the Najib to Mahathir administrations, we study the hegemonic forces at play in the business-ruling elite nexus, resistance to attempted FP recalibration after the 2018 election, the interplay between domestic and international distinctions, as well as formal and informal individual agency in various dimensions of bilateral ties. Drawing on elite interviews, and key secondary literature in global FPA, Malaysia’s FP, and domestic politics, this study offers a provocative premise: domestic constraints and FP dilemmas. Our findings illuminate three lessons that Malaysian policymakers and researchers have to learn with regard to this bilateral relationship: (a) foreign policymakers are not a tabula rasa; (b) they must move away from hedging prescriptions; and (c) the need for a critical turn in the FPA framework.https://icaps.nsysu.edu.tw/static/file/131/1131/img/CCPS-V7N3-MdKhalid-Azman.pdfmalaysia-china relationsnew malaysian foreign policymalaysia’s international relationsforeign policy analysisstate-to-state business relationselite and regime survivalneo-gramscian perspectivesstructural realismhedgingextraversionneopatrimonialismnajib razakmahathir mohamadunited malays national organisation (umno)barisan nasionalpakatan harapanperikatan nasional1malaysia development berhadsecurity dilemmalook east policy (lep)belt and road initiativesouth china sea |
| spellingShingle | Khadijah Md Khalid Muhammad Danial Azman In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal malaysia-china relations new malaysian foreign policy malaysia’s international relations foreign policy analysis state-to-state business relations elite and regime survival neo-gramscian perspectives structural realism hedging extraversion neopatrimonialism najib razak mahathir mohamad united malays national organisation (umno) barisan nasional pakatan harapan perikatan nasional 1malaysia development berhad security dilemma look east policy (lep) belt and road initiative south china sea |
| title | In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China |
| title_full | In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China |
| title_fullStr | In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China |
| title_full_unstemmed | In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China |
| title_short | In the Dragon’s Tight Embrace? A Neo-Gramscian Perspective on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy towards China |
| title_sort | in the dragon s tight embrace a neo gramscian perspective on malaysia s foreign policy towards china |
| topic | malaysia-china relations new malaysian foreign policy malaysia’s international relations foreign policy analysis state-to-state business relations elite and regime survival neo-gramscian perspectives structural realism hedging extraversion neopatrimonialism najib razak mahathir mohamad united malays national organisation (umno) barisan nasional pakatan harapan perikatan nasional 1malaysia development berhad security dilemma look east policy (lep) belt and road initiative south china sea |
| url | https://icaps.nsysu.edu.tw/static/file/131/1131/img/CCPS-V7N3-MdKhalid-Azman.pdf |
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