Kuala Lumpur
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) promotes democracy, human rights, economic freedom, and curbing climate change. In Asia, we have offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, New Delhi, Seoul, and Taipei. We also work in Malaysia. In Malaysia we work with 8 local partners. Should you have questions or suggestions about our work, please contact us. You can also meet our team here.
News
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Flowing through the Strait of Malacca: Smooth Sailing or Rough Seas for Germany?
China is now Germany’s single most important trading partner, followed by the United States (US), with trade goods worth billions of euro, both countries combined. The goods that Germany imports from Asia are not luxuries. They are production essentials: computer chips, smartphone components, electric vehicle batteries, industrial electronics, and factory machineries. Germany’s green energy transition, its car industry, and its entire electronics manufacturing base depend on goods that travel through this single waterway. If the Strait of Malacca were to be blocked for even a few weeks, German production lines would start going quiet. Not because of a war or political act, but simply because the parts would stop arriving.
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Democratic Resilience in the Age of AI
How to shape a resilient democracy in the age of AI? Political and institutional reforms, technological adaptation and regional cooperation, argues the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD).
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Freedom of Information in Malaysia: Penang’s Experience and Why It Matters
In the absence of federal FOI law, Penang’s experience highlights both progress and gaps in access to information in Malaysia.
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Why Malaysia’s Economic and Political Outlook Matters to Germany
Following the 2026 Malaysia Outlook Conference, hosted by IDEAS Malaysia in partnership with FNF Malaysia, Dr. Stewart Nixon drew up an analysis highlighting Malaysia’s growing strategic importance and calling for deeper Southeast Asia-Europe connectivity across economic, security, technological, and environmental fronts. As Malaysia and Germany confront shared challenges, from decarbonisation to democratic resilience, the path forward points toward stronger cooperation in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
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Will ASEAN reform SOE Governance to align with OECD?
ASEAN economies are integrated in trade and investment, yet uneven in governance standards. As Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are deepening ties with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), governance standards become an issue.
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ASEAN GOES BRICS
Indonesia has joined BRICS as a full member. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have partner status. What drives ASEAN’s biggest countries towards BRICS?
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Divided We Fall: ASEAN’s Response to Trump’s Illiberal Trade Agenda
When President Trump’s "Liberation Day" trade policy hit Southeast Asia with tariffs reaching between 32 and 49%, the region’s economic foundation didn't just crack; it splintered. While ASEAN initially projected a rare image of defiance and solidarity, that unity lasted only weeks before the bloc’s two most export-dependent members, Vietnam and Cambodia, were first to break ranks to chase bilateral side deals with Washington.
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Most popular
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The battle that keeps haunting South Africa
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We Too Have Voice: The Practice of Deliberative Democracy in Indonesia's Rural Communities
DEMOCRACY -
Why Same-Sex Co-Ownership Is About More Than Property
LGBTQ -
The Geopolitics of AI in the U.S. and Texas’s AI Infrastructure Strategy
Geopolitics