Muthiah Alagappa is a nonresident senior associate in the Asia Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Affairs and the Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His research focuses primarily on Asian security, the political legitimacy of governments, civil society and political change, and the political role of the military in Asia.
Previously, Alagappa worked at the East-West Center. From 2006 to 2010, he was the center’s distinguished senior fellow. Prior to that, he was founding director of the center’s Washington office (2001–2006), director of the integrated research program in Honolulu (1999–2001), and a senior fellow (1989–1999).
Before beginning his academic career, Alagappa served as a career officer in the Malaysian Armed Forces (1962–1982) holding field, command, and staff positions including senior army member for the defense planning staff in the Ministry of Defense.
Alagappa has written numerous articles for leading journals and is author of more than ten books. His recent books include: The Long Shadow: Nuclear Weapons and Security in 21st Century Asia (Stanford University Press, 2008), Civil Society and Political Change in Asia: Expanding and Contracting Democratic Change (Stanford University Press, 2004), Asian Security Order: Instrumental and Normative Features (Stanford University Press, 2003), and Coercion and Governance: The Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia (Stanford University Press, 2001).
