SINGAPORE: It was a surreal moment last Tuesday morning (June 12) when United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook…
SINGAPORE: It was a surreal moment last Tuesday morning (June 12) when United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands in front of a global audience, heralding a remarkable thaw in ties between two of the world’s fiercest adversaries.
History was made, and Singapore, as the host, would be noted for its small contribution to world peace and security.
In the days leading up to and after the summit, many headlines were focused on the quid pro quo for the host nation of staging an event that the world’s spotlight would be trained on.
That, said analysts, is just scratching the surface, and the key benefit for Singapore is something less tangible, but much more important: Another example of the country’s oft-cited ability to punch above its weight, the value of even-handed, straight-talking diplomacy, and a buttressing of its soft power.
Singapore’s role in the event is testament to its value to the international order and the effectiveness of its foreign policy, they said. The Republic is one of the few countries that has developed deep and wide-ranging ties with Washington while keeping lines of communication open with Pyongyang amid tight international sanctions.
It has been a tough balancing act for the country, which has pursued an even-handed brand of foreign policy — aiming to be a friend to all and enemy of none — in accordance with international law, but one that has paid off time and again, and in terms that cannot be measured merely by price tags: A hard-earned reputation as an honest broker, willing to speak hard truths, and a valued counsel to bigger powers.
This, analysts said, is the true value that being chosen to host a high-profile, history-making summit brings to Singapore. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) political scientist Woo Jun Jie said:
«More than simply being an event organiser, Singapore has also shown how small states can play the role of peacemakers, simply by fostering strong bilateral relations with all parties and helping to bring conflicting partners together when needed,» said Assistant Professor Woo, who is with the NTU’s public policy and global affairs programme.
Said Ambassador-at-Large Ong Keng Yong: «Foreign countries and leaders that matter to Singapore are familiar with what Singapore can do or cannot do. Where there was any doubt, the Trump-Kim Singapore summit has clearly demonstrated our ability and capability.»
«What has happened with the Trump-Kim summit is that the relevance of Singapore as an important place in the world of politics, economy and human development has been reaffirmed and strengthened.»
«This is very valuable for us, as we have today new geopolitical and technological dynamics around the globe, and the growing assumption is that the 20th-century architecture and institutions are not relevant anymore,» said Mr Ong, who is also the executive deputy chairman of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
He added that it should not be taken for granted that other countries will accept Singapore’s role hitherto without envy and resistance.
Indeed, while Singapore’s reputation as a neutral party and honest broker has been enhanced, it cannot afford to be complacent on the international stage.
But in the short term, at least, there are potential benefits in the form of an enhanced reputation and soft power, as well as attention from the Trump administration. In the longer run, there may be access to economic opportunities in North Korea.
The S$20 million cost of staging the event, observers noted, was a strategic bet that may yield substantial dividends in the future.
The meeting last Tuesday (Jun 12), which lasted more than five hours, yielded little by way of hard commitments, but in terms of substance, it was difficult to understate its importance: The net effect was of walking both sides away from a possible conflict.
Experts and commentators noted that Pyongyang won several concessions, the biggest of which was the suspension of war games between the US and South Koreans, a goal it has long sought.
READ: A commentary on how Kim Jong Un may have outmanoeuvred Donald Trump in Singapore.
READ: US-North Korea summit ends without marquee achievement, but wasn’t a waste, a commentary.
In turn, Mr Trump has confidently stated that North Korea no longer poses a nuclear threat, while American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hopes to see signs of «major disarmament» by the North within 2.5 years — that is, by the end of the current administration’s first term in office.
NEUTRAL, HONEST BROKER
Singapore has a record of hosting sensitive and high-profile political meetings, and this would not have been possible without an even-handed and omni-directional foreign policy.
Some of the high-profile events that come to mind include the 2015 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou, as well as the 1993 meeting between then Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu and his Chinese counterpart Wang Daohan. The Wang-Koo meeting was the first official meeting since 1949 to occur between the two sides.
Professor Tan See Seng, deputy director of the RSIS’ Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies, noted that Singapore has long been seen and endorsed by others as a state that can play, and has played, the role of an honest broker or moderator.
