by ATHAULLA RASHEED
In Brief
The Maldives’ political landscape influences its international relationships, taking precedence over foreign influence to favour independent development strategies, despite needing international aid to address economic hardship. The new president, Mohamed Muizzu, has adopted a ‘national development approach’, looking to balance relations with all countries, including China, India, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, for mutual benefit and to ensure national security and sovereignty, signalling a potential increase in Chinese-aided projects.
In Maldives, domestic politics is often significant enough to supersede foreign influence and privilege independent approaches to development cooperation. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu aims to maintain internal support as he strengthens relationships with foreign nations.
Since it attained independence from Britain in 1965, the Maldives’ foreign policy has been based on principles of sovereign equality of states, the rules-based international order, non-interference in other states’ internal affairs, diplomacy in problem-solving and friendly relationships with other states.
Maldives has made significant progress in democratic governance, making the transition to a multi-party democracy in 2008, and economic development, the country’s rich tourism industry now generating 80 per cent of national revenue. In 2021, Maldives was put in the high human development category in the Human Development Index.
But Maldives has continued to encounter economic challenges due to global market changes, health crises such as COVID-19 and climate change. To stay on its development path, it needs foreign aid. As a result, the demand for foreign partnerships to aid mega infrastructure development investments has increased. This has created geopolitical competition between major donors, who all want to become the most preferred partners.
But viewing the Maldives’ foreign partnerships through the lens of geopolitical competition fails to incorporate the domestic politics and public attitudes shaping the country’s foreign policy direction. Instead, it raises suspicions over the security implications of the Maldives’ foreign affairs.
East Asia Forum for more