cultural interests amongst others. In addition, Malaysia’s security is influenced to a larger degree by regional and international geopolitics in the following premise: Regional 3.1.1 ASEAN is the primary focus in Malaysia’s foreign policy. As one of the founder members of ASEAN, Malaysia fully supports and upholds the basic principles contained in the ASEAN Charter such as the opposition in the use of force, nonintervention in the affairs of member countries as well as the promotion of peaceful conflict resolution as the key to ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in the region. This commitment is aimed at maintaining national strategic interests. 3.1.2 Malaysia also fosters regional strategic cooperation through active participation in regional security and defence organisations such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting (ADMM) and Five-Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) to safeguard national interests. International 3.1.3 Countries such as the United States of America, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Australia and the European Union (EU) have strategic interests in Malaysia and the region. These countries are important because they have the power to shape the global political and economic environment militarily as well as the economic and technological edge to broaden their political influence and pursue their respective interests. 3.1.4 Malaysia’s commitment to international organisations such as the United Nations (UN), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Commonwealth, G-15 and G-77 in handling global strategic issues has resulted in it being regarded as a friendly nation to be trusted and respected at the international level. Through active participation in the international organizations, Malaysia’s policies and interests on numerous security issues have been highlighted and maintained. Over and above that, its participation in Peacekeeping Operations and post conflict rehabilitation in various countries affected by war, internal conflict and natural disasters have also acknowledged Malaysia’s role and empathy as a global player. The selection of Malaysia as one of the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and as chair of associations such as the OIC, NAM and G-77, among others, manifests Malaysia’s role at the global level by the international community. 4. NATIONAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT 4.1 Malaysia has undergone a challenging evolution in maintaining its sovereignty, national security and public order. The current security landscape has become increasingly complex with threats from both State and Non-State actors which will have high impact on the security and sovereignty of the nation. Past experiences faced by the nation in relation to security includes colonisation by foreign powers, the Communist insurgency, the Indonesian Confrontation, secessionist movements, the 13 May 1969 ethnic conflict, extremism (ethnic, ideological, religious and political), economic crises, natural disasters and territorial infringements. Measures to ensure national security and the survival of Malaysia as a sovereign state needs to take cognizance of both internal threats and the geopolitical climate at regional and international levels as follows: