Abubakar Abubakar Usman is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of International and Strategic Studies at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. His research focuses on the Global South, globalization and development, international political economy, and the Muslim world. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from UKM and master’s degrees in Diplomacy, Strategic Studies, and Political Science. He previously served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at IIUM’s Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance and currently coordinates the Africa Studies Circle at the Asia Middle East Centre for Research and Dialogue (AMEC). Dr. Usman has published in leading journals such as the South African Journal of International Affairs, Global Society, Contemporary Islam, African Security Review, and the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, and contributes to platforms like Africa@LSE, The Conversation, and Daily Trust. Fluent in English, Arabic, and Hausa, he is currently working on two book projects on Africa-Asia relations and military coups in Africa.