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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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Security Shock Exposes Fragile Governance

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The shooting of two US National Guard members near the White House is more than an isolated act of violence: it is a window into deeper structural weaknesses within America’s governing architecture. The incident, reportedly committed by a recently arrived migrant under a humanitarian programme, ignited an immediate political firestorm. But beneath the headlines lies a multilayered crisis: institutional confusion, the blurring of security and politics, and the erosion of public trust. These are not uniquely American problems. They are challenges any modern state can face when security failures collide with political opportunism and fragmented governance. For Malaysia, the episode offers important lessons about preparing for crises before they become national turning points. First, the event demonstrates how even the world’s most advanced security apparatus can be breached. High-risk zones are never fully risk-proof. In the American case, the attacker managed to reach one of the ...
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Security, Politics, and Sabah’s Fragile Governance

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The recent shooting of two US National Guard members near the White House has sparked global reflection on the vulnerabilities of modern governance. Reportedly committed by a recently arrived migrant, the incident exposed cracks in institutional coordination, crisis communication, and political responsibility. While this event unfolded thousands of miles away, it offers lessons that are urgently relevant to Malaysia, especially in light of the upcoming Sabah state election on 29 November 2025 and recent security incidents in the region, including the Lahad Datu intrusion and a spate of kidnappings in eastern Sabah. These developments reveal how intertwined security, political timing, and social cohesion are, and how fragile governance can become if crises are not managed with foresight. First, the US incident underscores that even the most sophisticated security systems can be breached. High-risk areas are never invulnerable. In Washington DC, the attacker reached one of the most h...
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Malaysia’s Strategic Africa Engagement: A Bold New Frontier

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The recent outreach by Malaysia’s Prime Minister  Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim  to key African nations signals a recalibration of Malaysia’s global strategy and rightly so. Africa has transformed into a region of real economic, demographic and geopolitical significance. For Malaysia, engaging early promises not just new markets but a platform to expand influence, diversify partnerships and position itself in a changing global order. Over the past two years Africa has plainly moved the world politically, economically and socially. The continent is no longer just a recipient of foreign aid but an actor in innovation, environmental leadership and global shifts. Urbanisation has accelerated, new industrial corridors are being planned, and Africa’s population is becoming a youthful force of consumption and production. In this context, Malaysia’s interest in emerging African partners is timely. Africa’s strategic ascent is driven by three interlocking dynamics. First, demographi...
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Return Merit, Restore Malaysian Football

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The qualification of Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Haiti for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has reshaped global football expectations and delivered a loud message to nations still struggling with direction and identity including Malaysia. Except for Haiti, making its second appearance after 1974, these nations are stepping onto the world stage for the first time in history. Their achievement is not accidental, nor is it a miracle but it is the product of years of systematic planning, investment in grassroots development, and football administration grounded in professionalism rather than political symbolism. Watching these nations rise while Malaysia continues to stumble forces an uncomfortable but necessary reflection: how did a country that once dominated Southeast Asian football fall so far behind? During the 1970s and early 1980s, Malaysia commanded respect on the Asian football scene. The names of legends such as Mokhtar Dahari, R. Arumugam, Hassan Sani, Santokh Sing...
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Women’s Wings: Terrorism’s Expanding Frontier

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The recent Red Fort car blast in New Delhi has not only exposed operational vulnerabilities but also illuminated a worrying new chapter in terrorism: the structured, strategic use of women in extremist organisations. What was once seen as a male-dominated ecosystem is rapidly evolving into a gender-inclusive machinery in which women are no longer peripheral supporters but embedded operatives, recruiters, and ideological enforcers. The revelation that a women’s wing played a crucial role in the Red Fort incident underscores how deeply and deliberately terrorist groups are integrating women into their command structure. The Red Fort attack involved more than the placement of explosives in a public zone. Investigations revealed that women were actively involved in the planning, organisation, and support of the attack. Dr. Shaheen Saeed, a medical doctor, was reportedly tasked with assisting in the creation and oversight of a clandestine women’s division connected to the group in que...
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Women Emerging as Key Terror Actors

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The emergence of an organised women’s wing within Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) marks an important shift in the global trajectory of extremist movements one that Malaysia cannot afford to overlook. While this trend is unfolding abroad, its underlying dynamics are not geographically restricted. The establishment of a structured female division, complete with ideological training, leadership hierarchies, and recruitment pipelines, signals a more adaptive and sophisticated strategy among militant groups. For Malaysia, where women have historically played smaller but still notable roles within extremist ecosystems, this development serves as a critical reminder that gender is becoming an increasingly deliberate tool in extremist strategies. This trend reflects not merely the inclusion of women but the institutionalisation of their participation, marking a shift from informal involvement to formalised structures. Extremist organisations are leveraging gender for ideological legitimacy, opera...
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