Malaysian Association for American Studies (MAAS) president K.S. Nathan told The Star Online on Wednesday that while Trump might pay more attention to domestic priorities as previously outlined in his campaign, it does not mean that the United States will neglect foreign policy.

"I think America cannot afford to be isolationist.

"Internationally, America will be engaged and has to be engaged. There is no choice. He [Trump] cannot pull back from all the commitments that the United States has made and as a world power, it will remain engaged," said Nathan.

Nathan added that although Trump himself might not know about South-East Asian politics "with the same amount of interest and significance as the Obama administration", he can still benefit from his advisers.

He said that pulling out of the region would only be to the advantage of competing powers such as China.

Nathan said that the Obama administration's engagement with Asia and the strategic partnership it shares with Malaysian will likely continue.

"In foreign policy, whether it is a Clinton or Trump presidency, the basic contours of American foreign policy do not change as they are heavily institutionalized.

"The president only implements the national interest of the United States which is not formulated entirely by him but also by the political institutions of the United States," said Nathan.

He warned against expecting a complete departure from previous US foreign policy, adding that "American foreign policy is quite predictable".

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