Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's upcoming visit to the White House is the latest sign that his quiet revolution in foreign policy is thawing Muslim Malaysia's chilly relations with major trading partners.

Less than nine months after taking over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, notorious for his strident style, Abdullah's low-key international diplomacy has won him friends not only in the United States but in Australia and Singapore.

Apart from his invitation for talks with President George W Bush in Washington on July 19, he has in the past month notched up a standing invitation to visit Canberra, which would be the first such trip by a Malaysian leader in 20 years.

Abdullah has also launched a process which has brought Australia and Malaysia close to talks on a free trade agreement and seen the signing last week of a pact with Singapore for joint investment promotion in third countries.

"It is about time," Abdul Razak Baginda, the executive director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre told AFP .

"This is where our national interests lie. I think what he's doing is putting the national interest at the core of foreign policy."

Tame language

Abdullah has not shied away from criticising Bush, telling diplomats on Monday that the US had violated international law by sidelining the United Nations in its invasion of Iraq and had created "uneasiness worldwide" by its global dominance.

But such language is tame compared to that meted out by Mahathir, who regularly called Western leaders "warmongers" and suggested they led morally decrepit societies of sexual deviants.

During his 22 years in power, Mahathir also scorned Australia as Washington's " deputy sheriff " in Asia, blocking its attempts to join regional economic forums, and wrestled constantly with neighbouring Singapore over a list of bilateral issues.

Despite this, the three countries remained major trading partners as Malaysia developed rapidly into a manufacturing force, and Mahathir himself visited Bush in the White House in May 2002 to be thanked for his cooperation in the war on terrorism.

The bonhomie was short-lived, however, with Mahathir's criticism of Bush reaching a peak after the invasion of Iraq, which he described in parliament as a "cowardly and imperialist" act which would spark more terrorism.

His invective led to a warning from the US embassy here that relations could be harmed, but Mahathir pledged to keep speaking his mind, and did.

Effective role

While the substance of Malaysia's views may not have changed significantly since his retirement at the end of October last year, the mode of delivery has.

"In terms of strategic issues, it is important we regain what we've lost," said Razak Baginda.

"We always say we are a moderate Muslim country but at times we did not reflect this. We could no longer play the bridging role between the Muslim countries and the West.

"By establishing links, Malaysia can play a far more effective role. So Abdullah is doing that, revisiting our role. This is a good way to regain our position."