Introduction: Rethinking Singapore's Foreign Policy

The conventional understanding of Singapore's foreign policy can be summed up in three main propositions. First, it is dictated by the imperatives of a small state, which Singapore undoubtedly is, at least in a physical sense. Second, and closely following from the above, the primary purpose of Singapore's foreign policy is to ensure its survival. Third, this logic of survival supports a realist understanding of international relations and dictates a realpolitik approach to foreign policy and national security. As Michael Leifer, in his widely known book on Singapore's foreign policy, wrote, “Singapore's leaders have consistently approached the matter of foreign policy from the conventional realist perspective of a small state obliged to cope with a world that was potentially hostile and without common government.”¹ This implies, among other things, reliance on a strong national defense capability, an emphasis on unilateralism and bilateralism over regionalism and multilateralism, a preference for US military presence to maintain the regional balance of power and a consequent prioritization of international engagement in which defense and strategic relations with external powers assumes salience over regional ties or commitment to regionalism or closer identification with its neighbors….