Small Countries Diplomacy

[jwhtan]

Is Qatar’s ongoing rift with its larger Arab neighbours a lesson in why small states should always act their size, and avoid stare downs with major powers.
One former top Singaporean diplomat said as much in a commentary piece on Saturday,
and promptly found himself chastised by his high placed peers in the Lion City’s vaunted diplomatic mix.

Singapore prides itself for an adroit foreign policy which has seen it cultivate strong ties with all major powers.
Its pragmatic “maximum number of friends” approach was first championed by the late Lee Kuan Yew as a bulwark for small states.
Despite being the leader of a tiny island republic, the senior Lee was known to have been extensively consulted by world leaders on world affairs.

But in a commentary for the Straits Times, Kishore Mahbubani suggested Doha’s troubles show that “small states must always behave like small states”.

The tiny kingdom’s current troubles with Saudi Arabia and its allies stem from the fact that it believed
“that it could act as a middle power and interfere in affairs beyond its borders,” wrote Kishore, the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

The former Singaporean permanent representative to the United Nations said
“no small animal would stand in front of a charging elephant, no matter who has the right of way, so long as the elephant is not charging over the small animal’s home territory.”
“We are now in the post-Lee Kuan Yew era. Sadly, we will probably never again have another globally respected statesman like Mr Lee.
As a result, we should change our behaviour significantly.”

“What’s the first thing we should do? Exercise discretion. We should be very restrained in commenting on matters involving great powers.”

Premier Lee Hsien Loong last year voiced support for international arbitration as a way to deal with such territorial disputes.
His comments at the time followed an international arbitral ruling on the dispute that went against Beijing, and which Chinese officials later described as “illegal and invalid”.
China reacted angrily to the Singaporean leader’s comments.
Kishore said: “There is a season for everything. The best time to speak up for our principles is not necessarily in the heat of a row between bigger powers”.

His comments appeared to rebuke the Singapore’s government’s long held position that it would not waver from publicly supporting the international rule of law,
even if that meant displeasing bigger powers.

[jwhtan]

This stance triggered a fierce reaction from Bilahari Kausikan, a fellow foreign ministry grandee.

"Kishore’s point about small states was “muddled, mendacious and indeed dangerous,” the ambassador-at-large wrote on Facebook.
“Independent Singapore would not have survived and prospered if they always behaved like the leaders of a small state as Kishore advocates,”
“They did not earn the respect of the major powers and Singapore did not survive and prosper by being anybody’s tame poodle.”
wrote Bilahari, who has served as permanent secretary of the foreign ministry and as the Lion City’s envoys to Russia and the UN.
The country’s patriarch Lee Kuan Yew too “stood up to China when he had to,” Bilahari said.
“The Chinese respected him and that is why he later had a good relationship with them. I don’t think anyone respects a running dog.”
He further turned the screws on his former foreign ministry colleague:
“I am profoundly disappointed that Kishore should advocate subordination as a norm of Singapore foreign policy. It made me ashamed.”

If that was not enough chastising, K Shanmugam, a former foreign minister, entered the fray on Sunday afternoon.
He shared Bilahari’s post and said Kishore’s piece was “questionable, intellectually”.
“We have to be clear about our interests and go about it smartly. But not on bended knees and by kowtowing to others,” wrote Shanmugam.

The fierce retorts did not elicit a response from Kishore.

[globalcookie]

Is that an echo of what a then minister also said about knowing your place in society? Or is he reminding LHL to know his place?

Quite a nice joke.

[jwhtan]

I think Kishore Mahbubani is being very objective.

It is just plain stupid to go comment on behalf of the Philippines when
the Filipinos themselves go kowtow to China

We should just simply Mind Our Own Business

Kishore did not advocate subordination.

He said " so long as the elephant is not charging over the small animal’s home territory "

[Ong88]

On an international stage, I think it's called kay kiang.

But to reframe it to a personal level : if I see my friend, or for that matter even someone I don't know, being mistreated I will stand up for the chap.
This is called incensed righteousness. But then again, sometimes heroes die first

[AroHong]

Originally Posted by jwhtan

Kishore did not advocate subordination.
"

They always play with their own interpretation and words to bully people into submission.
I think I'm not racist, but have you taken note of the people playing with words or making stupid comments?
These people seem highly regarded and holding high posts in government and civil service.

[millenium]

大哥， 以前的事都是我错了， 以后就别再提了， 以后我全听你的就是了。

[satan_gal]

Well... personally, how come LKY can he cannot? He is old man's son leh!

It's how he put it across. How and WHEN. There's a right time to say the right things... and not blabber as he wishes.

It took the old man so many years to gain the respect of others and he did it by keeping his mouth shut when he should.

Of coz.. it's largely to do with his very capable wife who's eyes are very very sharp to note behaviour and subtle hints and recommend him appropriate way to do things more humanely. (It's in his book 1)

[tangmulong4488]

Qatar is being accused of supporting terrorism. If that is true, it is a different ball game.

[Ong88]

He say, she say.

Some ppl say Israel behind Isis.