It was Singapore’s exceptionalism, buoyed by the benefits of the Pax Americana, with values of multilateralism, the rule of international law and the benefits of globalisation, that propelled us up the S-curve. That was encapsulated in far-sighted and daring policies made by our founding fathers that enabled us to survive the initial post-independence economic and social instability following the withdrawal of the British.
In Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s National Day Message, the familiar themes of a changed world wrecked by geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions were underpinned by a resolute call. “To stay ahead, Singapore must remain exceptional — in our cohesion, in our resolve, in our performance.”
We grapple with a reset of the global order. President Donald Trump stridently rolls out an America First reset of international trade conventions and diplomatic norms. Creating an uncertain environment governed less by globalisation but by the mercurial capriciousness of his Art of the Deal, which could change by the hour, the world is descending once again to a paradigm of “might is right” — whether military or economic.
