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New U.S. Security Strategy Reframes ASEAN’s Choices

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The United States’ 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) arrives at a moment when ASEAN is grappling with intensifying great-power rivalry, a shifting global economic order, and persistent uncertainty in the South China Sea. While Washington’s new blueprint is meant to reinforce U.S. leadership and uphold a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” its implications for Southeast Asia are more complicated than the document admits. From maritime security to technology governance and economic resilience, the NSS reframes ASEAN’s strategic options - narrowing some, expanding others, and placing Malaysia and its neighbours at a crossroads where hedging becomes harder and neutrality more contested. For ASEAN, the most consequential element of the NSS is its framing of China as the United States’ “primary strategic competitor.” This language sets the tone for an approach that privileges deterrence, forward military presence, and mini-lateral security partnerships such as AUKUS and the Quad. Altho...
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Delaware: Foiled Plot Highlights Hidden Security Risks

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A recently thwarted attack in Delaware reveals important lessons for countries like Malaysia that are experiencing rising inflows of legal and illegal migrants. The incident involved a former university student who was stopped during a routine late-night patrol. What seemed like a minor infraction quickly escalated when police discovered a cache of modified firearms, extended magazines, tactical armour and a notebook filled with detailed plans, including sketches of a targeted police station and tactics resembling “urban warfare.” A subsequent home search uncovered additional weapons and planning materials. The suspect reportedly expressed ideological motivations, framing violent martyrdom as an aspiration. What stands out is how ordinary the individual’s background appeared from the outside: a student, an immigrant who had been in the system for years, with no obvious outward signs of extremism. The case illustrates how major security threats can emerge from individuals who appe...
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Cross-Border Threats and Malaysia’s Security Vulnerabilities

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The November 2025 National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C. in which a lone gunman ambushed two U.S. service members near one of the most heavily defended political zones in the world - underscores a central reality of modern security: even sophisticated systems can fail when intelligence coordination, surveillance, and situational awareness break down. The attack’s symbolism lies not only in its location but in its exposure of institutional blind spots. For Malaysia, the incident offers important lessons for understanding long-standing vulnerabilities in Sabah’s eastern maritime frontier, the northern peninsula bordering Thailand’s Patani region, and the ongoing process of strengthening border governance through the newly established Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS). The Washington shooting demonstrates that visible patrols or physical barricades alone cannot guarantee security; effective protection requires anticipatory intelligence, rapid coordination, and...
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Retain SOSMA: Fortify Malaysia’s National Security Architecture

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Malaysia’s Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) continues to occupy a contentious place in national discourse. Since replacing the Internal Security Act (ISA), SOSMA has been scrutinised for its implications on civil liberties, with critics urging its repeal and supporters defending it as a vital tool for safeguarding national security. A recent political call noting that the government has “two years left” to abolish SOSMA has reignited this debate. Yet in a world marked by rising extremism, hybrid warfare, sophisticated criminal networks, and foreign subversion, the question Malaysia must confront is not whether SOSMA should be abolished, but how it should be enhanced. Retaining SOSMA with structural reforms, stronger oversight, and precise operational scope is essential for strengthening Malaysia’s resilience against the complexities of modern security threats. The global security environment is no longer defined by conventional threats alone. Transnational te...
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Regional Piracy Surge Highlights Urgent Need For Security In South China Sea Security

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By INS Contributors KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A sharp rise in piracy and armed robbery across Asian waters in early 2025 has renewed calls for Malaysia and its neighbours to overhaul regional maritime security frameworks, strengthen surveillance, and prioritise economic development in vulnerable coastal areas.  R. Paneir Selvam, the Principal Consultant at Arunachala Research & Consultancy (ARRESCON), a think tank specialising on strategic national and geo-political matters, said the region can no longer treat maritime security as strictly a defence issue. Instead, it must be understood as central to national wealth, supply chain stability and long-term economic resilience. Speaking to reporters, Paneir said the recent spike in maritime crime reflects “a dangerous convergence of economic pressure, operational gaps and the exploitation of chokepoints across the region’s busiest waters.”  He added that securing the South China Sea is essential not only for protecting s...
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Why Africa Matters to Malaysia - Part 2

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Africa matters to Malaysia not only because the continent itself is undergoing transformation, but because the global system is shifting in a way that elevates Africa’s centrality in future geopolitics, economics and governance. The international order is no longer defined solely by trans-Atlantic power or Asia–Pacific competition; instead, multiple regions are asserting agency, shaping policy outcomes and demanding structural reforms. In this emerging multipolar landscape, Africa stands out, not as a region waiting for development assistance, but as a rising actor capable of influencing global political discourse, financial flows and technological pathways. Over the past two years, Africa has demonstrated an unprecedented capacity to shape global narratives. From climate diplomacy to global supply-chain negotiations, African states have presented unified positions that resonate across the Global South. Whether advocating for climate loss-and-damage funds, negotiating for faire...
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Malaysia’s Africa Axis Explained - Part 1

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Malaysia’s recent strategic outreach to Africa represents a fundamental shift in its foreign policy and economic engagement, reflecting both foresight and necessity. Historically, Malaysia’s external relations have been oriented toward ASEAN, the Middle East, China, Europe, and the United States, leaving Africa largely on the periphery of diplomatic and economic strategy. While African countries have long been acknowledged as part of Malaysia’s broader South-South cooperation agenda, engagement has often been episodic, project-based, or limited to multilateral forums. This pattern is now changing. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visits to Ethiopia, South Africa, and Kenya, alongside ongoing bilateral dialogues with other African states, signify a recalibrated approach. Malaysia is beginning to perceive Africa not as a distant continent of marginal significance but as a critical geopolitical and economic actor whose trajectory will shape global outcomes in the decades ahead. Se...
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