Geopolitical Games and Malaysian Mediation in the Philippines

Abstract

This article assesses the complex strategic environment prevailing in East and Southeast Asia, where a “vacuum war” may be underway between China and the United States, with the southern Philippines as the bone of contention. The author argues that Malaysia is a keystone player in the peace process in Mindanao region of the Philippines and that it has a convergence of interests with the US. Malaysia’s involvement as a peace mediator between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic rebel movement is driven by Kuala Lumpur’s own territorial agenda and is not necessarily in alignment with the aims of the Philippines itself. The article delves into the various geopolitical calculations of major players in the Philippine conflict and demonstrates how peacemaking diplomacy can open doors for strategic domination by great powers