Singapore's success for joining the winning side

The success of Singapore over the last 6 decades could be due to Singapore's decision to join the winning side. Singapore became an independent state in 1965, in the midst of the Cold War between the Americans and the West versus the Soviet Union and Communism. It may be a simplistic view that just joining the winning side, the Americans and the West, is a major reason for what Singapore is today. Other things aside, plugging into the western world system, being very useful to the Americans at a time and in a region that is hostile to the Americans, found Singapore in a sweet spot for American investments and influence in the region. American investments poured into the little island, including everything American, influence, propaganda, brainwashing and Hollywood.

This was acute political thinking of the first generation of Singapore leaders. Singapore had to survive at a time when neighbours were not too friendly and there was no one else to turn to. America was at the peak of its power and influence. Being friend of America, under the protective umbrella of the Americans, provided Singapore with an era of peace and security and rapid economic growth to the envy of the neighbouring states. Caveat, Singapore workers then were hardworking and talented, unlike today's daft Singaporeans.

The geopolitics of the world has changed over the last few decades. The Americans are still powerful and rich and still behaving like a rogue state, bullying the rest of the world. The rogue behaviour of the Americans is getting under the collar of many states of the Global South. Never mind if the developed states of the West are also feeling the heat. 

In addition, powerful states from the Global South are also rising and now posing a challenge to the American dominance and hegemony. The signs are all there that America is in decline and the challengers are rising rapidly and looking likely to overtake the Americans in all areas, economics, science and technology, politics and even military. The new Singapore leaders, especially under Lawrence Wong, would be in serious thought about the future of Singapore amidst the changes in the balance of power. For a while, the mantra is to be neutral, not taking sides, hide under the Asean umbrella and try to be friendly to both America and China, if this is possible, but still leaning more on the American side.

With each passing day, with the gangsters in Washington behaving like irresponsible and aggressive mafia, being neutral is getting more difficult and uneasy. Which way would Singapore turn to? Who is going to be the winner for Singapore to choose to be on the winning side again and ride the wave?

So far, it seems that Singapore has made the choice, the wrong choice, to be on the losing side, picking the loser. The decision to sanction Russia is a poor choice. As it is turning out, Russia is the winning side. Ukraine is the loser, and the Americans are also trying to wriggle out from the losing war. Russia is not alone. Practically the whole of Asia and the Global South is on the side of Russia. The latest parties in Tianjin and Beijing are optics that said Russia is winning. Singapore had made a bad choice, not as clever as the first generation leaders.

Singapore is now picking India as the next winner. Is this a wise choice or another bad choice? Is India a winner? The Indo Pakistan War said it without apologies, that India is a loser. India is also a big loser in its relations with the USA. India is also a loser in economics, trade and industrialisation and high tech revolution. Can anyone be so blind not to see that India is a loser in everything, on every count, despite all the bragging, gloating and fake statistics? India has nothing that is world leading and in the forefront of technology.

Singapore prospers for the last few decades by picking the winning side, staying on the winning side. Would Singapore continue to prosper by picking the losing side? The world today is more vicious and moving very fast. Picking a loser and staying on the losing side is going to have bad consequences for Singapore. It needs the acute wisdom and foresight of the first generation leaders to keep Singapore afloat for the immediate future. Believing in fantasies and make beliefs, in wet dreams, are very telling on the wisdom of leadership. Singapore cannot make its policies on hopes, false hopes and believing in smooth talks. Singapore has to make hard decisions based on hard thinking and hard facts.

What do you think? Is Singapore choosing the winning or losing side? America is appearing as the loser by the day. Only the Anglophiles think America will forever be the winner, the Empire that will not fall.

New Iron Triangles - Xi, Putin and Modi, ... Xi, Putin and Kim

Trump said that he is not concerned about China and Russia forming a new front against the USA. Oh yes, not concerned but trying to split the duo but failing to bring down Russia and afraid to put more pressure on China. Not concerned but threatening BRICS with 100% tariffs, knowing BRICS is the brainchild of Putin and Xi. Now, what else have Putin and Xi been talking about in privately in Tianjin? Trump must be anxious to know, but nowhere to get the news. Now we have North Korea Kim also inside the front.

The SCO meeting had a trio of Putin, Xi and Modi, laughing together and probably talking about someone sulking. The Victory Day parade will feature another trio of Putin, Xi and Kim. These are all Trump's friends before, but why is he not invited? The more Trump wants attention, the more some countries will care two hoots about him. Trump is now an outcast. The only support he now has is from the Anglo-Saxon clique.

Oh, by the way Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is reported to be going to Beijing to attend the Victory Day Parade after all. That shows how important China is to Indonesia.


Anonymous

Trump did not know America is ripping off the world by exchanging real goods with worthless papers

Trump is building a wall around himself, forgetting to put in a door that he could come out, LOL. Now the wall is closing in on Trump. Will the USA be in the position of China during the century of humiliation? Karma really does work.

Who could have expected the British Empire to fall while it was at its peak, untouchable and powerful. Yes, the Brits were also stealing the wealth of its colonies to prosper, US$40 trillion (or pounds) alone from India. The USA is today sucking in the products of blood and sweat of other nations, using its toilet papers in exchange. And yet, Trump is complaining that countries are ripping the USA off. When countries stop providing the USA with goods, let us see who had been doing the ripping. That day is coming, but Trump may not be around to witness it.

BRICS and SCO are doing an excellent job of providing an alternative for the Global South countries, providing them with a bigger trading bloc, cheaper, faster and more convenient, away from the control of the US$. Trade today is subject to huge losses in converting to and from the US$, benefitting the USA alone. Every country is waiting for the day when the US$ is no longer effective as a weapon to sanction any Tom, Dick and Harry just because they want an alternative fairer system to trade.


Anonymous

Trump scores 180 for dementia test but he thought that was for his IQ

I came across some social media sites talking about why Trump is very angry with India and punishing India and Modi for not nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize and even sabotaging his claims that he brokered the Pakistan/India peace deal. India categorically said that Trump has nothing to do with that peace deal whatsoever. Ouch, that truly hurts and is saying that Trump is lying big time.
Having said that, what happened at the SCO meeting recently in Tianjin and the gathering of world leaders and the coming together of Putin, Xi and Modi owes much to Trump's effort to push them together, LOL. Maybe Trump would want to claim credit for that too, to add another feather to his cap and improve his chances of getting the Nobel Peace Prize. No, I am not rooting for that of course.

Trump wants that Nobel Peace Prize very badly, but things are not working out for him. If bribing could work, Trump would surely have taken that route.

Some Democrats are now exposing Trump's self-gloating IQ test results claiming he scored 180, in the range of a genius. Actually, that result that a Democrat dug out was just a test score while undertaking a dementia checkup or something, nothing about an IQ test.


Anonymous

American terrorists, called Marines, shoot and kill suspects in coastal waters of Venezuela

We sail wherever we want, we fly wherever we want. This is the message of the rogue state to the world. Cause we carry the biggest and ready to shoot and kill against anyone who dares to stop the Americans. Caveat, the American terrorists can say this to bully weak and small states. The day is coming when they will be shot and killed for violating the territorial waters of big powers.

'The decision to blow up a suspected drug vessel passing through the Caribbean, instead of seizing the vessel and apprehending its crew, is highly unusual.' Trump said they won't do it again after killing 11 people in a boat in the Caribbeans just because they were suspects of smuggling drugs. There were many criticisms on this brutal and insensitive terrorist act of the American marines. Drug smuggling is just a crime, not a terrorist act, not deserving of a death sentence. And the suspects were just suspects, not proven to be drug smugglers. Could be anyone on a cruise.

But the American terrorists did not care. America is the biggest terrorist state, and their soldiers and police are terrorists in state uniforms. They shoot and kill as they like. What kind of rogue and lawless behaviour is this? Where is the condemnation from UN, ICC or western countries?

How much longer would the world stay silence to the American terrorists, claiming rules of law, democracy and human rights, to go on killing innocent people around the world at their whims and fancy? And they deployed marines, not coast guards to go after drug smugglers, or to threaten the Venezuelan govt of war? It is alright if they use their soldiers, ie national guards to patrol their own cities and kill their own Americans. The world can accept this. But going out of American territories, in international waters or other country's territorial waters is a different thing.

Are the Americans going to shout, this is American rules based order. American rules and American order? Or is this the behaviour of friendly and peaceful American thugs and terrorists?

Are the dead suspects going to get any justice and compensation from the rogue American state? Or this is American cowboy law and justice? No one is strong enough to bring the American terrorists to be judged in a court of law. Where is ICJ and ICC? Do the suspects have any rights to defend their innocence?

What do you think? Drug smuggling is not a capital offence in America. Most of the American rich and famous are junkies, including those in Washington and the White House. The white men drugged the Chinese in the 19th Century. Now they are drugging themselves. This is just retribution.