, Columnist
Singapore Thrived in a US-Led World. Now What?
America fostered the island’s rise. It’s unclear what happens when the superpower goes missing.
Can the boom continue?
Photographer: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg
If you want a glimpse of a changing global order, go to Singapore. That’s what I did last month, when I served as the S. Rajaratnam Professor of Strategic Studies at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies and met extensively with leading thinkers and government officials.
Singapore is a mind-blowing success story that reminds us how distinctive America’s post-World War II global project was — and how much uncertainty today’s more unilateral, abrasive superpower is creating for smaller states.