The United States is Malaysia's largest trading partner, and US-Malaysia relations generally revolve around three main themes: economics, security, and Malaysian political modernization. Current events often have a role in highlighting particular aspects of these themes, which on occasion can give rise to contradictions in the bilateral relationship. The listing of Malaysia to Tier Three, the lowest rank, in the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report by the US Department of State in its 2001, 2007 and 2009 publications is one such instance. In the 2009 report, Malaysia was one of seventeen countries cited in Tier Three, alongside North Korea and Myanmar. Pooja Terasha Stanslas discusses the problem of human trafficking in US-Malaysia relations, highlighting Malaysia's recent efforts to remedy the situation.

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