Malaysia

Commentary

With ASEAN Paralyzed, Southeast Asia Seeks New Security Ties

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations tirelessly proclaims its centrality to the region, but its inability to develop a coherent response to Chinese aggression or the crisis in Myanmar has effectively killed that claim. ASEAN members will inevitably continue to seek out alternative paths.

Commentary

Biden's Southeast Asia Policy Improves in Second Year, but Still Much to Do

In 2022, the Biden administration stepped up its game in Southeast Asia by showing up in person, clarifying its approach in key strategy documents, and boosting cooperation. But one obvious problem that remains is that it still has no real economic strategy to counter China in the region.

Commentary

The Political Geography of the South China Sea Disputes

Until the early 20th century, the South China Sea was seen as a vital communications and trade passage that was not under the jurisdiction of any country or empire. How did littoral states' claims on its maritime zones and features develop? And what is the likely future of the disputes?

Report

Democracy Remains Fragile in the Asia-Pacific

In Asia, there has been a reduction in the number of autocracies over time but also a rise in the number of partial democracies. What makes some Asian states slide toward authoritarianism? What policies can support democratization, and how can external actors help?

Commentary

The Value of Systematic Assessments of Weapons Procurement

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic and inevitable economic difficulties, national governments should be encouraged to weigh their military requirements in a more cost-effective manner. Countries need to think strategically about the life cycle costs of equipment, not just the original purchase price.

Commentary

Uncovering the Links Between Fires and Public Health in Equatorial Asia

Fires in Indonesia, if left unchecked, could cause an average of 36,000 premature deaths annually across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Researchers built a tool that models the effect of the fires on public health.

Commentary

Southeast Asia Loves ISIS, but Is the Feeling Mutual?

As the ISIS core in Iraq and Syria attempts to rebuild, Baghdadi and his lieutenants will have to make difficult decisions about where to allocate resources. Now that the caliphate is gone and ISIS must transform into an insurgency, the largely untested lands of Southeast Asia may yield rich rewards.

Commentary

We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze

Forest and land-use fires are ravaging Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Haze from these fires is life-threatening; inhaling smoke can cause heart and respiratory diseases, leading to premature deaths. We developed a new tool to provide decisionmakers with information to protect people who live downwind.

Commentary

Murder, Missiles, and Messages from North Korea

Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile on February 12 — one day before Kim Jong Nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was murdered in Malaysia — and four more on March 6. What would lead North Korea to carry out these provocations?

Commentary

Death by Nerve Gas: Two Arrests, Many Questions in Attack in Malaysia

Details about the murder of Kim Jong-Un's half-brother are still being uncovered. If a firm connection to North Korea can be made, others in the region should react strongly. Otherwise, Kim may conclude that further provocations are worth it.

Blog

Like Flight 370, the MH17 Crash in Ukraine Could Remain a Mystery

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was reportedly shot down yesterday near the Russia-Ukraine border. But like Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished in March, what happened to MH17 is shrouded in mystery.

Commentary

The Flight 370 Mystery Gets Political

Why might unnamed sources try to link Anwar to a potential hijacking of an aircraft carrying 239 passengers? Possibly to divert attention from the government's ineffective management of the search in the days since the plane's disappearance.

Report

Security Issues Facing the Tri-Border Area Between the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia

The area between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia is a key hub of terrorist and related criminal activity in Southeast Asia. The Coast Watch System was designed to improve maritime domain awareness in the region but has some issues to overcome.

Commentary

Asia's Nonproliferation Laggards: China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction ranks as one of the biggest challenges facing the Obama administration. Luckily, Mr. Obama has a tool to combat this threat, in the form of the Proliferation Security Initiative.... The trick now will be to convince key Asian countries to participate, writes Charles Wolf Jr.

Report

Enhancement by Enlargement: The Proliferation Security Initiative

The Proliferation Security Initiative consists of 91 countries seeking to limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction between states or non-state actors that would thereby pose a serious threat to global or regional security. This report assesses the perspectives of the five

Report

The Malay-Muslim Insurgency in Southern Thailand -- Understanding the Conflict's Evolving Dynamic: RAND Counterinsurgency Study -- Paper 5

Current unrest in the Malay-Muslim provinces of southern Thailand has captured growing national, regional, and international attention. This paper assesses the current situation and its probable direction.

Journal Article

Reliability of Reasons for Early Termination of Breastfeeding: Application of a Bivariate Probability Model with Sample Selection to Data from Surveys in Malaysia in 1976-77 and 1988-89

Social status, social norms, and health-related factors appear to be significant influences on women's consistency of reporting.

Report

The Impact of Wives' Earnings on Earnings Inequality Among Married-couple Households in Malaysia

Analyze the effects of wives' earnings on household earnings' inequality in Peninsular Malaysia in 1976 and 1988. We find that wives' earnings helped equalize the distribution of household earnings in Malaysia, both at the two points in time and over time.

Report

Correlates of Short Interbirth Intervals in Peninsula Malaysia: Their Pathways of Influence Through Breastfeeding and Contraceptive Use

Correlates of Short Interbirth Intervals in Peninsula Malaysia: Their Pathways of Influence Through Breastfeeding and Contraceptive Use

Report

Ethnicity and Fertility Differentials in Peninsular Malaysia: Do Policies Matter?