Relationship dossier
Maldives
United States
Relationship assessment
A bilateral security partnership anchored by a 2020 defense and security framework
Maldives toward United States
+30The Maldivian government signed a 2020 framework agreement with the United States to strengthen bilateral defense and security cooperation.
United States toward Maldives
+35The United States signed a 2020 framework agreement with the Maldives to strengthen bilateral defense and security cooperation.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship has a concrete security-cooperation foundation in the 2020 framework agreement. This supports a cooperative bilateral structure, while the agreement’s implementation and the continuity of cooperation across changes in Maldivian government remain unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Maldives and the United States have developed a security partnership, notably through a 2020 framework agreement on defense and security. The agreement provides a basis for bilateral security cooperation, though its scope and implementation are not fully clear. The relationship also reflects the Maldives’ changing governments and foreign-policy priorities.
Key developments
The Maldives and the United States signed a framework agreement to strengthen defense and security cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of security cooperation under the 2020 framework are unclear.
- The extent of cooperation under successive Maldivian governments is uncertain.