Singapore's Foreign Policy: The Search For Regional Order

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Singapore's Foreign Policy: The Search For Regional Order

International relations

Author: Amitav Acharya

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Language: English

Published by: World Scientific / Inst Of Policy Studies, S'pore

Published on: 26th November 2007

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 216 pages

ISBN: 9789814474733


Singapore's Foreign Policy: Main Propositions

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.

Beyond Realism

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 — instruments that realists tend to dismiss, but which Singapore has self-consciously tried to promote as instruments of regional order.

Book Structure

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.

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