By AR Rahman

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Nick Adams, a staunchly nationalist supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump has had a disproportionate amount of coverage in Malaysian media following reports that the 40-year-old is Trump's pick to head the country's diplomatic mission in Malaysia.

Known for his outspokenness of "Americana" - American culture, music, and heritage, Adams appears to be the embodiment of what a conservative American man should be and is likely to fit well in his new posting as despite the attempts of certain people to portray Malaysia as a "neo-Taliban state", it is in reality a vibrant, multicultural, Western leaning democracy that is being subverted by forces both within and from abroad seeking to undermine it.

Strangely there has been an unprecedented attack on Adams before he has even set foot in Malaysia, clearly an orchestrated campaign by those aligned with individuals who are comfortable with the status quo -  sycophants, wokeists and those seeking to pander and enable China's influence efforts in Malaysia to the detriment of U.S. real interests in Malaysia and the region.

Lets take a closer look at what's going on and what's at stake.

How important is Malaysia to the US?

Malaysia sits in the heart of Southeast Asia straddling the Malacca Straits on one hand and the South China Sea on the other, two critical maritime chokepoints that the US is determined to maintain as open and navigable areas as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, a direct challenge to China which is seeking control of the region in order to limit U.S. influence and threaten supply chains in the event of a conflict.

Malaysia is a major manufacturing hub not only in semiconductors but also as the world largest supplier of certain rubber based products including gloves, as well as being the site of the only major rare earth refining operation not under China's control.

Geopolitically China has long sought to draw Malaysia, a formerly staunch ally of the U.S. from the time of the Cold War, into its orbit using a combination of economic predation, political interference dating back to at least the scandal-ridden administration of former prime minister Najib Razak, and hard power military projection into portions of the South China Sea that fall within Malaysia's territorial boundaries.

What Adams could contribute?

While he may not be a career diplomat like the current ambassador Edgard Kagan, Adams brings a refreshing flair to the role . It is easy to pick through his social media posts and find things to complain about but really he is speaking to a conservative MAGA audience. The outrageous claims that local politicians and social media "influencers" in Malaysia post online are equally if not more abhorrent to a U.S audience. This is not by any measure a way to judge Adams's character.

Kagan on the other hand has proven himself to be an unmitigated disaster as an ambassador, having been sent during the administration of former president Joseph Biden to push a pro-Ukraine and wokeist line. Malaysians for the most part are not worried or in the least concerned about events in Ukraine, having to face a looming threat from China and see the Trump administration as being on the right track in confronting the revisionist power.

"He (Kagan) just has no clue on how to engage Malaysians. Besides insisting on Malaysia having to take a stand on Ukraine - a non-issue in Malaysia, he has also criticised the stand of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the plight of the Palestinian people as well as efforts to diversify Malaysia's diplomatic and trading strategy through BRICS and solidarity with countries such as Iran and Lebanon," a Malaysian official familiar with international affairs said.

Meanwhile a human rights activist said Kagan had failed to live up to expectations, having avoided raising key issues related to human trafficking, the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities and indigenous people's (known locally as Orang Asli) well as abuse of power and enforced dissappearences,causes which U.S. ambassadors traditionally championed while serving in Malaysia.

"There is no common ground and a total indifference and disinterest in building upon the work of his predecessors. Unfortunately Ambassador Kagan just does not understand the local issues or people and seems to have no interest in helping us raise our concerns with the government. He seems to be more interested in irrelevant issues," the activist said.

Another Malaysian official went as far to say that the opposition and smearing of Adams is really an effort by those seeking to ensure that Kagan continues to stay in his role: "What we see are all the usual characters whether political commentators, minor politicians and social justice warriors who benefit directly from Kagan being in Malaysia. In any case the Trump administration understands that a change is needed and is seeking to replace him (Kagan) and engage in damage control."

Making up for lost time

Adams will have a full-plate should he successfully secure the nomination. He will have to quickly make up for ground lost during Kagan's watch and work towards empowering Malaysia to assert its sovereignty over its economy and the South China Sea. 

Malaysia's defensive capabilities are woefully inadequate and as the U.S. has successfully shown through its precision strike on Iran's nuclear program during "Operation Midnight Hammer", the country is by far the most effective military force on the planet. This is an ally that will be very welcome by Malaysia.

The scope of security cooperation also extends to the procurement of defensive weapons including in assisting Malaysia to build up its anti-access/area denial (or A2/AD) capabilities as the U.S. has in the Philippines and Taiwan, two other countries in the region that have to face an increasingly aggressive Chinese territorial claims over the South China Sea.

Adams is also a close personal friend of Trump, something that could prove to be extremely helpful as Malaysia is seeking to negotiate a reduction of tariffs with the U.S. While Malaysia's current strategy has proven to be a total trainwreck, Adams could advise the Malaysian side on how best to approach and deal with Trump on not just the issue of tariffs but in other matters of urgent interest.

Contrary to popular belief and indeed through deliberate misinformation, Malaysians are a peace loving and fun loving bunch. There is a lot of common ground between a traditionally masculine ambassador such as Adams and many officials in the Malaysian government. Sure there may be differences but until there is engagement, there will be no way to know where Adams truly stands and how far he is willing to go to find common ground.

Adams will best serve his interests by keeping cool and getting past the nomination process so he can play an invaluable role in reinvigorating the U.S.-Malaysian relationship which has atrophied in the hands of incapable career pencil-pushers who use their postings as a platform for personal activism.

What is needed in a U.S. ambassador to Malaysian ambassador is dynamism, outspokenness and directness and a hands off approach in letting the embassy do its job while he does his, not micromanagers who are stuck in an outdated worldview.

*AR Rahman is a former civil servant who observes national and regional affairs from his porch in Kuala Lumpur's historic Kampung Baru.*