60 years of independence: A testament to Maldives’ foreign policy?

It has been 60 years since Maldives gained its independence. This long journey is based on some key tenets; an economy that can generate revenue, an army that can defend the country, and a system that can ensure its domestic peace and security. While Maldives maintains its hard-fought independence against the British, the fact of the matter is that there have been many instances that have put the country’s freedom in jeopardy. These weren’t just wars waged with guns and rockets, but also threats that emerged through economic and diplomatic relations. Today, the global arena is in more turmoil than ever. As world powers engage in wars, the small island nation of Maldives remains independent. This begs the question: is this the result of a robust foreign policy the country has horned over the last six decades?

Efforts to make Maldives ‘bigger’

Ending Maldives’ status as a protectorate of the British colonial power opened doors for the country to enter modern diplomacy. The Maldivian government rushed to announce its independence on July 26, 1965, as soon as the country freed itself from under British rule.

Maldives’ independence came as the Cold War continued to escalate, particularly in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Then-Maldivian Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir believed that the backing of powerful nations was essential for Maldives to gain global recognition. After reinforcing political ties with the British, the Nasir administration next prioritized forging ties with western powers. This included the Soviet Union, a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia, including Russia, from 1922 to 1991.

Ahmed Shiaan, a seasoned diplomat who now serves as a secretary, multilateral, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that it was afterwards that the Maldives began fostering formal ties with regional countries.

The next priority for the Maldives was to become a member of the United Nations (UN), so that the country could gain global recognition as an independent and sovereign state. The island nation focused its efforts on lobbying other countries to gain membership.

Shiaan said that the biggest challenge the Maldives faced was to explain to other countries the importance of the small nation becoming a UN member. With its small size, small population and sparse natural resources, the country was deemed insignificant. Its membership application was met with questions about the capacity of "very small states" to fulfill UN Charter obligations. Faced with this challenge, the Maldives asked for a legal opinion from the UN Security Council. The UN’s Charter is clear that all member states, no matter how big or small, all have one vote in the General Assembly. The UN Security Council opinioned that there was therefore no basis to deny Maldives membership at the UN based on its small size.

The Maldives became a member of the UN on September 21, 1965.

“It is important that we acknowledge the countries that endorsed our application for UN membership; Malaysia, Jordan and the UK. These three countries deserve our thanks,” he said.

Maldives lays the foundations of its foreign policy with first UN address

The very first address by the Maldives at the UN was delivered by Ahmed Hilmy Didi of Kakaage, who was appointed as the country’s first representative to the global organization.

What he said in his address remain key tenets of Maldives’ foreign policy.

“We believe in peace and friendship; we need both, in quest of which our aim is to maintain good relations with all countries and peoples. We are convinced that the world needs peace now more than ever before,” said Hilmy, in the historical 1965 address.

The Maldives found it important to maintain good relations with all countries. It believed in peace and friendship.

It envisioned the world as a happy place to live in; free from fear of war, poverty, disease and ignorance.

This became the basis for Maldives’ foreign policy; one that the country’s foreign ministers have consistently followed, one after the other. The most influential figure among all was Fathuhulla Jameel, who was the country’s longest-serving foreign minister, and left a lasting legacy.

Fathuhulla was serving at the Maldives’ permanent representative at the UN headquarters in New York, when Nasir called him back home and appointed him as the foreign minister in March 1978. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who was elected president in November 1978, reappointed Fathuhulla as the foreign minister.

He held the role for 27 long years, up until he resigned in 2005, and went on to serve as a special advisor to Maumoon.

It was Fathuhulla who skillfully steered the Maldives through turbulent waters for nearly three decades, securing global recognition and making the country’s voice heard by the world.

Under his leadership, the Maldives, initially dismissed for its seeming insignificance, woke other large countries to important issues such the dangers of climate change and the need for sustainable development.

Under the eye of world powers

In the early days of its independence, the Maldives had rushed to foster close ties with major world powers, seeing it as the easiest way to gain global recognition.

But in today’s world, fostering close ties with powerful countries is a dangerous game, one that requires skill to navigate.

The Maldives is a country that all world powers have their eye on.

“The focus on the Indian Ocean is very different now. There was focus here even back in the 60s and 70s. But it is not the same level of focus and attention as there is now,” he said.

Being positioned in the middle of the Indian Ocean charges the Maldives with the important responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the region. Therefore, the path to protecting the interests of the Indian Ocean lies in protecting the interests of the Maldives. This requires Maldives to protect its independence and territorial integrity.

This is the main reason why the Maldives’ foreign policy must not tilt in favor of any single country.

Maldives' strategic location in the Indian Ocean makes it a crucial area for global oil shipping. Approximately 80 percent of oil shipments from the Middle East to East Asia pass through the Maldives.

Meanwhile, Maldives’ neighbor India, a rising global power, believes that anything that happens in the Indian Ocean is linked to its own interests. Nothing must cross the red lines they have drawn.

Shiaan stressed that this is why Maldives must maintain a foreign policy of neutrality and global multilateralism.

“If the Americans come and want to partner with us for something, we will welcome it. The same goes for China, India, the European Union, Japan or anyone else. We will work together with any country that wants to,” he said.

In today’s world, weapons of choice aren’t just guns and missiles, but also trade.

For a country like the Maldives, which is almost entirely dependent on imports, the consequences of economic sanctions could be catastrophic.

Continued independence; is it the foreign policy?

The secret to Maldives maintaining its independence while navigating waters full of threats and influences is that the country has stuck to its original tenets in implementing its foreign policy; national interest, neutrality and multilateralism.

“This is an achievement we must celebrate every single day. The current global arena is not an easy place to navigate. Working together with all these countries, there are certain things they want. Though these might not be things the public or the media is aware of, this involves so much. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is in the very top layer. It is in the frontlines to block or face all this,” said Shiaan.

Shiaan said that like all Maldivian administrations before it, the main tenet of the foreign policy of the incumbent administration is protecting national interests.

“Our foreign policy is shaped to maintain the interests of the Maldivian people, and protect the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

And given the current economic situation, securing funding and negotiating to reschedule debt repayment has also become an important party of the country’s foreign policy.

The journey to independence wasn’t an easy one. And nor was the struggle to maintain this hard-fought independence over the last 60 years.

There is a lot that must be done to maintain this independence for future generations, the chief of which is to maintain the country’s time-tested foreign policy.