Overview

New insight into the defense history of Singapore. Even small states can have grand strategies. Singapore, despite its poor natural resource endowment, small population, and size, has often been described as punching above its weight in international affairs. Part of this stems from the way Singapore strategically integrates the different diplomatic, political, and defense-oriented tools at its disposal. To explore this, Singapore’s Grand Strategy offers a fresh and useful diplomatic, defense, and security history of Singapore, from its independence in 1965 through today’s period of strategic realignment.  Most previous studies of grand strategy have focused on super- or at least middle powers, but this book presents an important contribution to international relations and strategic studies by showing how the concept can help explain the strategic posture and achievements of small states as well. Moreover, he brings a historian's perspective to a subject usually tackled by political scientists. The result will be useful and important for scholars in these fields.

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9789813252233

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"""By studying the speeches made by Singapore politicians - and sometimes filling them in with archives from other countries - Ang argues that Singapore's approach has been remarkably consistent since its independence in 1965. . . . [the book's] value lies in expanding the range of international grand strategy case studies in academia and policy studies to include smaller states.""-- ""The Straits Times"" ""Singapore's Grand Strategy makes the case for what the outlines of a 'distant star' might look like for Singapore, looking at principles which it contends have been remarkably consistent since independence. Unlike some accounts that focus singularly on the role of Lee Kuan Yew, the book acknowledges the reality that Singapore's founding father also had capable figures around him which helped shape the country's grand strategy as well, such as Goh Keng Swee and S. Rajaratnam. It also usefully situates the argument within the global scholarship on grand strategy, which has been written about by scholars such as Hal Brands, John Lewis Gaddis, William Martel and Nina Silove. This makes it a useful addition to the few books written on Singapore's external relations to date, including those focused on foreign policy (like Bilveer Singh's The Vulnerability of Small States Revisited or Michael Leifer's Coping with Vulnerability) and defense policy (such as Tim Huxley's Defending the Lion City).""-- ""ASEAN Wonk"""

"""This book offers a powerful account of the evolution of Singapore's grand strategy, stretching from the 1960s to the 2000s. It shows that size does not limit the ability of states to develop a successful objectives-resources alignment. It will generate further inquiry into the conditions that drive small states' strategic competence."" – Thierry Balzacq, Sciences Po, Center for International Studies, Paris ""This is a solid and insightful study of the fundamentals of Singapore's foreign and defence policies, explained as an overarching Grand Strategy. Developed by three of Singapore's most influential strategic thinkers--Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and S. Rajaratnam--the Singapore Grand Strategy, initially driven by the compulsions of a new and small state seeking to survive in a difficult neighbourhood, eventually evolved into a set of underlying principles consistently guiding the country's international and defence posture since 1965. The core elements of the Grand Strategy are clearly explained in this carefully researched and well contextualised study."" – Tan Tai Yong, Singapore University of Social Sciences"

"""By studying the speeches made by Singapore politicians - and sometimes filling them in with archives from other countries - Ang argues that Singapore's approach has been remarkably consistent since its independence in 1965. . . . [the book's] value lies in expanding the range of international grand strategy case studies in academia and policy studies to include smaller states.""-- ""The Straits Times"""

Author Information

Ang Cheng Guan is professor of the international history of Southeast Asia at the Nanyang Technological University.

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