Essentially: Social Darwinist philosophy

Need to be engaged perpetually in promoting countervailing measures

to compensate for and overcome innate vulnerability

Underlying principle: Balance of power

To prevent either a local dominance or an adverse change in the overall
regional distribution of power

Separation: fundamental incompatibility over the distribution of

political power and a failure to reach an accord of economic
cooperation
Although it still enjoyed the protecting presence of a British military establishment, which
ensured its sovereign condition and generated revenue and employment, resources were
limited
BUT we not start from scratch!! Reputation of LKY and familiarity with international figures;
prerogative role in foreign trade

Singapore: first over fifty leading economies in Annual Global Competitiveness Report 1999
CHECK RECENT STATS
The idea of underlying vulnerability persisting—in terms of our physical location and size. How
about other factors?

REGIONAL DIPLOMATIC ROLE—the disproportionate role we play in regional diplomacy. But why?
What forces us to do this?

Singapore’s original role as an economic trading port—although we have transcended our original
economic role, it is no less trade dependent in its modern version which registers a global ambit.
Our ability to cope with economic storms are better than most. Why? How did we achieve
this, since we are a lot more dependent on other countries?

We are not a centre from which new frontiers of knowledge would emanate, rather a go-
between

System of governance: authoritarian interventionist system of governance and financial regulation

justified with reference to underlying vulnerability
How much of this vulnerability still persists today? How does this change things within our
system of governance?

Pairing of vulnerability with excellence

Idea of Singapore as the fifth China—ethnic Chinese are minority in SEA and also regarded with
resentment and suspicion from our neighbours because of their cultural identity and economic
prominence
 Is it justified to say that to a certain extent, xenophobia is necessary in Singapore?

KEY IDEA: consistent registration of a political identity quite

separate from China and Taiwan, integration diplomatically within
geographic locale
Bring in relations with Malaysia, Indonesia. What necessitated the formation of ASEAN?

Independence was not actively sought nor anticipated, therefore

separation was a traumatic political experience
How did this shape the mindsets of first gen political leaders?
How did this make our FP from the beginning different?

Clear-cut sense of external threat, primarily from Malaysia!!

Location in SEA where a separatist disposition has been endemic, yet we want to draw in major
powers in having a stake in our well-being

Legacy of 1st Gen leaders: integral part of the political culture of Singapore (despite how we’re on
2nd/3rd gen leaders now)

Future cannot be taken for granted, margin for error is minimal

LOOK FOR DEFENCE STATS (% of GDP, land space)

Defence has deterrent in mind; our influence does not arise from military might. Trained to operate
in geopolitical confines!
Based on Israeli model (FIND OUT MORE)

Standing and influence come primarily from civilian economic

accomplishments, underpinned by an educational base with
considerable strength by international standards
Political system: efficient and authoritarian, mandatory democracy which brooks no opposition from
interest groups outside of parliament, providing a politically stable and distinctively non-corrupt state
Contrasted with say, America’s Congress or Weimar Republic’s Reichstag
Virtual absence of corruption attracts involvement and confidence of the international
business community, aptitude of PAP in maintaining the requisite social discipline and
industrial peace underpinning economic success

A declared philosophy that the price in political freedom is necessarily required in return for good
governance and more material prosperity

Relations with closest neighbours a matter of continual difficulty

WATER SECURITY YES (find out more about water contract!!)
Politically imperative to reaffirm a separate identity from China for
domestic as well as international reasons
Refusal to defer to Beijing’s attempts to restrict the manifold contacts maintained with
Taiwan, rejecting the attempt to make the end of defence cooperation with Taiwan a
condition for establishing diplomatic relations

Civil society in the Western liberal-democratic sense has been actively discouraged
Therefore domestic political considerations have not impinged on policy in the same way as
other post-colonial states (eg MALAYSIA)
Authority is concentrated in a limited number of members in the Cabinet; parliamentary
debates primarily for informing rather than real discussion
Mixed and grudging respect from the West because of a resentment of an authoritarianism
opposed to civil society that, in a post-Cold War world, is deemed to be unnecessary in a
modern materially advanced state

Singapore’s relations with USA: we want to draw USA in while other countries in the region
practice separatism
Balance of power is a policy which discriminates in favour of a benign hegemon as
opposed to one which guards against any potential hegemonic state

Balance of power counters innate vulnerability—ideal balance is the distribution that will
counter vulnerability. Stake for all countries but not too much for any one
Cannot bow to displays of public pleasure
Encouraging countervailing interests to develop a stake in the island’s survival and well-
being

ASEAN: provided Singapore with access to a multilateral structure of dialogue, participation

in which helped to confirm its legitimate place within a regional locale
ASEAN as a means to transcend problematic local relations to considerable material and
political advantage

‘Global City’
The child of a modern which had enabled the problem of a lack of natural hinterland to be overcome
Not only from the region but also the international economic system (which will be the final
arbiter of whether we prosper or decline

Gather talent and make Singapore a cosmopolitan city:

Conspicuously elitist immigration policy
Hub of choice for talent, research and development, innovation and knowledge driven industries—
leading to a remarkable degree of continuity in foreign policy since independence both in terms of
diagnosis and prescription

Malaysia: at once regional partners and potential adversaries

 Majority Chinese and our economic policies generated fears of collusion among our most
immediate neighbours not only directed against its interests but also its very existence
Therefore constitute the worst-case scenario of FP planners in Singapore
Leading to continuity!! :D

Basic priority: that international society should not allow one state to invade another and change its
government at will through an act of force
Judicious use of pulls and counter pulls so that smaller players have a greater freedom of
navigation

Singapore FP at the end of the day is still at its core a system of states
Realist at the core, liberal actions
International relations dilemma of a city state

The government refuses to consider the idea of slower economic growth

ASEAN regional forum

APEC
The only forum with China USA Russia North Korea South Korea Japan ASEAN etc O:
GOH CHOK TONG 8D

National survival
Integrity of borders
Survival of state