2005 was the 40th anniversary of Singapore's independence. This collection of essays by Singapore's past and present diplomats tells the remarkable story of how this small and vulnerable country has become a stable, prosperous and respected member of the international community. The essays include those from the late President Wee Kim Wee and President S R Nathan as well as seminal contributions from the four former Foreign Ministers - Mr S Rajaratnam, Mr S Dhanabalan, Mr Wong Kan Seng and Professor S Jayakumar. The current Foreign Minister, Mr George Yeo, has written the foreword. The absorbing stories about people, places and international politics make this book a highly enjoyable read for all who are interested in Singapore, its history, and foreign policy.In the stories contained in this book you will find and discover:

This is the sequel to the bestselling book, The Little Red Dot, published in 2005. While the first volume consisted of a collection of essays by Singapore's first- and second-generation diplomats, this second volume contains essays written by the third generation of young ambassadors. The Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Raymond Lim, has contributed the Foreword. Written in an entertaining and accessible manner, this book is a highly enjoyable read for all who are interested in Singapore current affairs and in the art and science of diplomacy. It contains many inspiring stories which have not been told before.

The first two volumes of The Little Red Dot series covered a wide range of views about Singapore's diplomacy by Singaporean diplomats. This new addition to the series offers a complementary perspective of Singapore and its bilateral relations, through the eyes of past heads of missions from foreign countries who have served as ambassadors to Singapore. The reader will be able to glean insights from the foreign diplomats who took an active role in getting to know Singapore, and at the same time, also worked hard to promote their respective countries' interests. As seen from their perspectives, the reader can learn more about what was unique about Singapore, what they learnt and what made their postings to Singapore memorable. These candid reflections will allow Singaporean readers to understand how different elements of our country are often seen as a whole, and how that in turn contributes to the impressions that our foreign friends have of Singapore. Often cited by the contributors are the success of Singapore's economic development, our cohesive multi-cultural and multi-religious society, our good governance, our education system and opportunities for the young. These aspects that are highlighted, among others, are what makes Singapore unique and they are also important to Singapore's future. There were, of course, some critical comments on some aspects of our culture and political arrangements. We should evaluate them with an open mind, always willing to learn from our friends.

2005 is the 40th anniversary of SingaporeOCOs independence. This collection of essays by SingaporeOCOs past and present diplomats tells the remarkable story of how this small and vulnerable country has become a stable, prosperous and respected member of the international community. The essays include those from the late President Wee Kim Wee and President S R Nathan as well as seminal contributions from the four former Foreign Ministers Mr S Rajaratnam, Mr S Dhanabalan, Mr Wong Kan Seng and Professor S Jayakumar. The current Foreign Minister, Mr George Yeo, has written the foreword. The absorbing stories about people, places and international politics make this book a highly enjoyable read for all who are interested in Singapore, its history, and foreign policy."

2005 was the 40th anniversary of Singapore's independence. This collection of essays by Singapore's past and present diplomats tells the remarkable story of how this small and vulnerable country has become a stable, prosperous and respected member of the international community. The essays include those from the late President Wee Kim Wee and President S R Nathan as well as seminal contributions from the four former Foreign Ministers -- Mr S Rajaratnam, Mr S Dhanabalan, Mr Wong Kan Seng and Professor S Jayakumar. The current Foreign Minister, Mr George Yeo, has written the foreword. The absorbing stories about people, places and international politics make this book a highly enjoyable read for all who are interested in Singapore, its history, and foreign policy.In the stories contained in this book you will find and discover: which other Q (quotient), besides IQ (intellectual quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient), a successful diplomat needshow our diplomats helped to look after and evacuate Singaporeans in dangerous situationshow our diplomats have been able to overcome the size of our country and punch above our weightwhy the burial of a buffalo head, with our diplomats acting as gravediggers, was of paramount significance to our embassy in Indonesiaabout the 24/7 schedules that our foreign service desk officers keep, sleeping with handphones in their pyjamasthe advantage of being a lady Ambassador in a man's worldthe power of ideas and friends in diplomacy

Singapore, a small country with limited resources, has nevertheless played a significant role in regional and global trade negotiations. Its negotiators possess a wealth of knowledge and experiences and yet few have told their story. This book is a collection of sixteen essays by authors who have been closely involved in trade negotiations including GATT/WTO and bilateral free trade agreements. They share their experiences in such negotiations, how they promoted national interests and advanced the global trade agenda. It will appeal to readers who are interested in how international economic diplomacy is conducted, and Singapore's role and perspective as an open trading nation.

This important study of the shifting diplomatic efforts around the response to and resolution of the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia is based on the records of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, a key player in the complex diplomacy in the region at the end of the Cold War. The study provides a detailed account of the policies and decision-making of Singapore, as well as the diplomatic maneuverings of the other major parties and powers involved in the Cambodia conflict. It details one member country's input into the process of defining and developing a collective ASEAN position, a process which was formative for future diplomatic efforts by the regional grouping. Ang makes use of a variety of sources contemporary to the period under study, as well as records which have become available post-1991. The use of detailed records from one of the Southeast Asian players is a first for the study of the region's diplomacy. The book describes Singapore's role and illustrate how Singapore's management of the Cambodian issue was shaped by the fundamentals of Singapore's foreign policy. The account also reveals the dynamics of intra-ASEAN relations, as well as ASEAN's foreign relations in the context of the Cambodia problem.

The Thucydides trap and a US-China face-off are not structurally inevitable; US-China relations are what the US and China make of them. Phua focuses on the ability to see "US as US" and "China as China" to trigger both countries’ cultural tendencies towards pragmatism. Phua examines China’s arduous journey to fit in the Westphalian system, the deep cultural misunderstandings by the West of Sunzi’s The Art of War, and attempts to offer an inside-out cultural synthesis of classical and modern Chinese thought as a proxy of their operational code, beyond the standard clichés about Confucian and Daoist thought. He builds on Jervis’ perception and misperception as well as Alastair Johnston’s cultural realism. Readers will benefit from a culturally-Chinese, western-educated and politically neutral understanding of "China as China". An essential primer for academics, practitioners and students of international relations, diplomacy and Chinese culture.

The conventional understanding of Singapore''s foreign policy can be summarized in three main propositions: first, it is dictated by the imperatives of being a small state; second, its primary purpose is to ensure Singapore''s survival, given its small size; and third, this logic of survival dictates a realpolitik approach to foreign policy and national security. This book argues that an exclusively realist view of Singapore''s foreign policy is inadequate. Singapore''s foreign policy is also shaped by the positive effects of economic interdependence and regional institution-building OCo instruments that realists tend to dismiss, but which Singapore has self-consciously tried to promote as instruments of regional order. The book first looks at the evolution of Singapore''s foreign policy, before analyzing Singapore''s international relations and national security in the context of economic growth and terrorism. It concludes with an interesting chapter on the impact of the rise of China and India on the regional landscape. Sample Chapter(s). Introduction: Rethinking Singapore''s ForeignPolicy (435 KB). Chapter 1: The Evolution of Singapore''s Foreign Policy: Challenges of Change (468 KB). Contents: Introduction: Rethinking Singapore''s Foreign Policy; Part I: Foundations: The Evolution of Singapore''s Foreign Policy: Challenges of Change; The Economic Foundations of Singapore''s Security: From Globalism to Regionalism?; Part II: Adaptations: Diplomacy in Hard Times: Singapore Confronts Global Terrorism and Regional Regression; Waging the War on Terror: Singapore''s Responses and Dilemmas; Singapore and Southeast Asia in a Fast-changing Landscape: Coping with the Rise of China and India. Readership: Undergraduates, graduates and academics in foreign policy and international relations; government ministries; general readers interested in Singapore issues."

ASEAN as an Actor in International Fora addresses a blind spot in ASEAN research and in comparative regionalism studies by assessing why, how, when and to what extent ASEAN member governments achieve a collective presence in global fora. Written for academic researchers and practitioners working in areas such as international relations, political science and international law, it examines ASEAN's negotiating behavior with a novel four-point cohesion typology. The authors argue that ASEAN's 'cognitive prior' and its repository of cooperation norms have affected ASEAN's negotiation capacities, formats, strategies and cohesion in international fora. Using two case studies - one on ASEAN's cohesion in the WTO agricultural negotiations and one on UN negotiations on forced labor in Myanmar - they examine ASEAN's collective actions at different stages of negotiation, in different issue areas and in different negotiating fora. The book concludes by providing recommendations for strengthening ASEAN's international negotiation capacities.