The Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia has issued a clarion call for ASEAN and broader Asia-Pacific nations to abandon a reactive posture and instead become architects of their own regional destinies. Speaking at the opening of the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable on Wednesday, executive chairman Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah articulated a vision that challenges the traditional framing of how smaller and medium-sized powers operate within an increasingly fragmented international system. Rather than viewing regional nations as passive responders to external pressures and great-power manoeuvring, Mohd Faiz repositioned agency as something fundamentally within reach through deliberate strategic choices and coordinated action.
The distinction Mohd Faiz drew between reactive adaptation and proactive agency carries profound implications for Southeast Asia. Historically, ASEAN and its member states have been characterised by scholars and observers as pragmatic navigators of great-power competition, carefully balancing relationships with multiple major powers to maintain strategic autonomy. However, this framing often implicitly accepts a secondary role in shaping the international order. Mohd Faiz's argument inverts this narrative by suggesting that agency is not the preserve of superpowers alone, but rather a capacity that all states possess if they deliberately cultivate the internal strengths necessary to exercise it. For Malaysia and the broader ASEAN community, this represents a philosophical reorientation toward greater confidence and strategic purpose.
Central to exercising this agency, Mohd Faiz emphasised, is the foundational requirement for ASEAN to strengthen its internal resilience at both national and regional levels. This dual emphasis acknowledges that regional collective action depends upon individual member states maintaining robust institutional capacity and economic stability. Without such foundations, collective positions become fragile and susceptible to fracture when major powers apply pressure. The ability to deliver consistent public goods—from infrastructure to security—regardless of external shocks becomes the prerequisite for meaningful participation in shaping regional outcomes. This framing suggests that ASEAN's effectiveness ultimately depends upon its members demonstrating institutional quality and delivering tangible benefits to their citizens.
The 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable, held from June 30 to July 2 under the thematic banner "Accelerating Agency and Action," represents a deliberate pivot from previous years' focus on managing geopolitical uncertainty. The shift itself is significant, signalling recognition that the region has moved beyond a phase of simply adjusting to great-power rivalry toward a moment where proactive positioning becomes possible. The conference attracted high-level Malaysian participation, with Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani attending the opening dinner, while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the final day.
The conference structure reveals the substantive agenda underpinning this emphasis on agency. Four strategic fault lines anchor discussions: the evolving dynamics between China and India, ASEAN's institutional resilience amid intensifying great-power rivalry, the resurgence of nuclear considerations in strategic planning, and the critical geopolitical dimensions of mineral supply chains and economic interdependence. Each of these domains presents the region with specific challenges that cannot be resolved through passive observation or defensive positioning. Instead, they demand that regional actors develop sophisticated perspectives on how to navigate competing interests and create arrangements that serve ASEAN's collective interests.
Mohd Faiz's articulation of the Asia-Pacific Roundtable's purpose is equally instructive for understanding the value of track-two diplomacy in contemporary Southeast Asian affairs. He characterised the forum not as an academic retreat or echo chamber reinforcing conventional wisdom, but as a deliberate space where established assumptions could be rigorously questioned and alternative perspectives explored. This framing acknowledges that official diplomatic channels often operate within constraints of protocol and established positions, creating a genuine need for parallel discussions where experts and former officials can engage in more candid explorations of complex problems. For Malaysia, which hosts this influential platform, the roundtable represents intellectual infrastructure for regional strategic thinking.
The emphasis on translating agency into concrete action addresses a persistent challenge in regional discourse: the gap between aspirational statements about ASEAN solidarity and the practical difficulties of coordinated implementation. Mohd Faiz acknowledged this explicitly, stressing that discussions throughout the conference would examine not merely conceptual frameworks but practical pathways through which agency translates into meaningful policy outcomes. This includes examining how ASEAN's institutional architecture might evolve to address contemporary challenges, how individual member states navigate relations with major powers without sacrificing core interests, and how the region can develop capacity in emerging domains like critical mineral supply chains.
The inclusion of high-profile participants, including Australian High Commissioner Danielle Heinecke discussing middle-power agency, reflects recognition that ASEAN's regional approach resonates beyond Southeast Asia. The concept of exercising strategic agency despite asymmetrical power relationships appeals to numerous countries navigating great-power competition, from India to Indonesia to Vietnam. This broader regional interest in ASEAN's strategic positioning underscores the potential significance of how Southeast Asian states navigate contemporary challenges—their approaches offer practical models for other regions confronting similar dilemmas.
For Malaysian policymakers and the broader Southeast Asian establishment, Mohd Faiz's remarks carry implications that extend beyond rhetorical positioning. The call for strengthened agency demands genuine investments in institutional capacity, economic diversification, technological advancement, and human capital development. These are not external relations matters but fundamentally domestic challenges requiring sustained government commitment. ASEAN's collective ability to shape regional outcomes depends upon member states undertaking sometimes difficult structural reforms that enhance long-term resilience and capacity. The framing suggests that strategic autonomy and regional influence are not gifts bestowed by major powers but achievements earned through demonstrable capability and purposeful action.
The conference's focus on critical minerals and supply chain resilience also reflects shifting strategic priorities in Southeast Asia. As technological competition between major powers intensifies and supply chain vulnerabilities become apparent, control over and access to critical resources assumes greater geopolitical significance. ASEAN's position as a resource-rich region with significant mineral deposits means the region possesses genuine leverage if it can coordinate positions and develop processing capacity. However, this requires transcending the extractive model where regional resources flow outward with limited value capture domestically. The roundtable discussions exploring this dimension may generate ideas for how ASEAN could collectively manage resource geopolitics to greater advantage.
The timing of the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable, occurring amid continued uncertainties about great-power relations and regional security architecture, reflects recognition that the region faces a particular moment where strategic choices matter significantly. The fragmentation of the global rules-based order creates both vulnerabilities and opportunities. ASEAN's response to these conditions will likely shape the region's trajectory for years to come. The ISIS Malaysia initiative to foster serious strategic discussion around these themes contributes to ensuring that ASEAN's choices reflect deliberate strategic thinking rather than mere reaction to external pressures. For Malaysia and the broader region, the conference represents an investment in the intellectual infrastructure necessary for sophisticated regional policymaking.
