Singapore and the United States 2004-2005: Steadfast Friends
Abstract
In June 2004 at the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies conference in Singapore (also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue), Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged our steadfast friends here in Singapore in the context of facing terrorism and other security challenges. Although he was engaging in customary praise for one s host, the reality is that the United States has come to see Singapore as a vital partner. The United States and Singapore have never been formal allies since Singapore became an independent state in 1965, yet the relationship is at least as close as that of a number of formal alliance partners such as Thailand and the Philippines. The relationship with Singapore is the most substantial and multi-faceted relationship that the United States has with any Southeast Asian country. A point of continuity in the relationship, spanning the Cold War and post-Cold War eras, is Singapore s stated desire to keep the United States engaged in the Asia-Pacific region. Referring to America s global role, Brigadier General Lee Hsien Loong, (then Deputy Prime Minister and now Prime Minister) told the Williamsburg Conference in 2000 that no other country can substitute for the U.S. Singapore has not become a formal alliance partner out of consideration for its immediate neighbors. Singapore has, in its diplomatic history, taken care not to alarm the surrounding countries of Indonesia and Malaysia, for whom a formal alliance with the United States may seem threatening. Equally, Singapore is also mindful of its own domestic population. The Chinese-language press in Singapore, for example, often displays highly critical views of the U.S., which presumably finds fertile ground with a number of ethnic Chinese heartlanders.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA627443
Entities
People
- Anthony L. Smith
Organizations
- Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies