Malaysia’s Strategic Adaptation After Davos 2026
The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos underscored a profound shift in the global order toward greater unpredictability, transactional diplomacy, and intensified great-power rivalry. The return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the centre of global discourse marked by assertive nationalism on trade, energy, territorial sovereignty, and security has unsettled traditional alliances and reinforced the erosion of long-standing multilateral norms. For Malaysia, Davos served as both a warning and an opportunity: a reminder that middle powers must become more agile, assertive, and strategically self-reliant in a more volatile international environment. A central takeaway is the growing fragility of traditional Western cohesion. Trump’s confrontational posture, particularly on territorial sovereignty and economic protectionism, rattled European leaders and weakened confidence in the transatlantic alliance. This signals a broader trend in which even long-standing partnerships are ...