Publication

This paper discusses the July 2015 decision by the US to remove Malaysia from the lowest tier on its list of human trafficking centers. The author argues that a reason for this upgrading was so the US could improve its chances of establishing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He then outlines how this shows the primacy of strategic considerations over human rights issues in US-Malaysia relations and argues that the upgrading of Malaysia could embolden other countries to find ways to avoid addressing human rights issues.