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In the complex web of geopolitics, few figures embody the tension between ideals and pragmatism quite like Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Bold in his defence of the besieged Palestinians in Gaza, he has leaned on the insights and friendships gleaned from his decades in the crucible of Southeast Asian politics – including the years he spent behind bars – to inform his stance.
But the man once feted by Washington as Southeast Asia’s democracy champion now risks straining those carefully cultivated US ties through his advocacy for the victims of Israel’s 15-month bombardment.
Concerns are mounting that his vocal support of the Palestinians may anger Donald Trump, the avowedly pro-Israel and famously transactional incoming US president. A senior Malaysian lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, recounted a meeting in which the US envoy in Kuala Lumpur candidly described Anwar’s Gaza stance as their “biggest problem” with his leadership.
“That was the first thing they raised in our meeting,” the lawmaker said, encapsulating the tension brewing beneath the surface.
Anwar, who leads Malaysia as it assumes this year’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has previously taken outgoing US President Joe Biden and European leaders to task over their perceived double standards on human rights and Gaza.
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