Grand strategy of the Malacca Sultanate, 1400–1511

The Malacca Sultanate had profound political and strategic influence in the Southeast Asia region. This article analyzes how the Malacca Sultanate practised its grand strategy using diplomacy and statecraft aided by its military power in countering and containing its external threats to sustain its power, gain economic dividends, and influence in the region. Although there are a few academic studies on the practice of grand strategies such as those of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, none has analyzed the grand strategy of the Malacca Sultanate. The lessons from the historical practice of grand strategy by the Malacca Sultanate generated by this research provides valuable insights and guidance for today's strategic practitioners and policy makers in facing similar security risks in the same geographical setting.