Abstract
Diplomacy has always been seen as a state-centric matter that views state as the only actor in international relations. Nevertheless, since the end of the Cold War, this belief has been challenged with the growing role of multinational as well as sub-state entities in international political arena. Malaysia-Australia relations have been shaped with numerous issues and challenges. Despite their bumpy political ties in the past (especially during the prime ministership of dr. Mahathir Mohamad) other spheres of the relationship remained unaffected. As such, a case study is conducted by looking at Sabah-Australia relations in terms of paradiplomatic practices.This research is qualitative in nature. Initial findings indicate that historical imperatives as well as trading interactions are two forms paradiplomatic practice that has contributed to strengthening of Malaysia-Australia relations.
Highlights
The importance of bilateralism is evident in the study of international relations
Initial Findings i.Historical Imperatives In terms of security, during World War II, Australian troops were closely involved in defending Malaya (1941-1942) and the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak (1945)
With the request made by the Malaysian government, Australia dispatched its troops in 1965, joining the British, Malaysian and other Commonwealth countries to protect Malaysia from the threats posed by Indonesia during the Konfrontasi (Cochrane, 2001; p. 203; Idris et al 2010)
Summary
The importance of bilateralism is evident in the study of international relations. Since the end of World War I and the inception of International Relations discipline in 1919, emphasis has been given by scholars and world leaders on the efforts on how to avoid war from recurring. It has to be noted that the bilateral ties between Malaysia and Australia have been tested with various challenges in the past that had almost jeopardized their diplomatic relations (Camilleri, 2001; Shamsul, 1996). This was evident especially during the administration of Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The latest available work on paradiplomacy published in reputable journal entitled Chinese Paradiplomacy : A Theoretical Review, written by Liu & Song They argue that the existing analytical framework of paradiplomatic studies confined itself to the limited ascpect of the phenomenon only and are mostly on Western world case studies. EXPORT TO AUSTRALIA (RM) IMPORT FROM AUSTRALIA (RM) TOTAL TRADE (RM) TRADE BALANCE (RM) TRADE BALANCE POSITION
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