Prof. Dr. Mohd Kamarulnizam Abdullah is Professor and Principal Fellow at the Asian Studies Centre, Institute for Malaysia and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). He served UKM earlier between 1991– 2012 before joining School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) as Professor in National Security for ten years (2012–2022). He received his PhD from Lancaster University, UK; MA (International Relations) from the Australian National University, and Bachelor of Science (Political Science) from the University of Utah, USA. His areas of research focus national and regional security; border studies; terrorism and political violence, and conflict studies.
Among his latest publications are Navigating Against Salafi–Wahabi Expansion in Malaysia: The Role of State and Society (Studia Islamika, 2022); Contesting Authoritative Discourse in Defining relations between Malaysia and Indonesia, A Case Study in the Kalimantan Border Areas.” (co–Author, Journal of International Studies (JIS). 17: 191–217, 2022); “Political Islam and Democracy in Malaysia,” (2019), ‘Malaysia: Adapting to the Dynamic Changes of Terrorist Threats.’ (co–author, 2019, Non–Western Responses to Terrorism, Manchester University Press); “Indonesia – Malaysia Dispute over Maritime Boundaries in the Northern Region of The Malacca Straits: Implication to Fisheries Management Regime.” (Co–Author, Journal of Critical Review 7(3): 593–98, 2020), and “Maritime border security and challenges for Indonesia.”Geografia: Malaysia Journal of Society and Space. (Co–Author, 15 (2): 155–165, 2019).
Currently, he is an advisory board member at the National Security Council Malaysia, 2022–2025 and Senior Consultant for the Home Ministry’s National Action Plan on Violent Extremism (NAPPCVE). His other governmental appointments or international consultative projects include Maritime Criminality in Malaysia (United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, UNODC); Malaysia’s White Paper on Defence (Defence Ministry); Rehabilitation, De–radicalization and Counter–Terrorism Programs as well as for the Formulation of Home Security Policy (Home Affairs Ministry); and Steering Committee for the establishment of National Defence University Malaysia (UPNM). He is also a country coordinator for the International Civilization Dialogue and Religious Understanding Program (Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs). He is currently an editorial member for the Scopus indexed Journal of Human Security (JHS) and Journal of International Studies (JIS); Jurnal Kinabalu (EJK), Jurnal Hubungan Internasional (UMY), as well as associate member of the Southeast Asia Conflict Studies Network. He has been appointed as resident professor at the Timor Leste Instituto de Defesa Naciona (National Defense College) as well as Timor Leste Institute of Diplomacy since
2016 and, Universitas Pasundan. Bandung since 2019.
- Border security problems in the waters of the Natuna Islands: Between national boundaries and illegal fishing
- The understanding of the idealization and conceptualization of ASEAN Community: Comparative study between Malaysia and Indonesia
- Maritime border security and challenges for Indonesia
- Contesting authority discourses in defining relations between Indonesia and Malaysia: A case study in the Kalimantan border areas