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In 2018 I'm going to start on all of my books even if I don't finish any of them. Today: Bilahari's book on SG foreign policy https://t.co/8yLInFq5sf
"The most brilliant ides of a small country can be safely disregarded if inconvenient; the most stupid idea of a large country must be taken seriously. In fact, the more stupid the idea, the more seriously it must be taken - because of the harm a large country can do."
"Since fear is a subjective psychological phenomenon, even within a single country, security will not mean the exact same thing to a diplomat, an intelligence officer, a solider or policeman, the trade official, the bean counter in the Finance Ministry, or the man in the street."
"No international institution can play an important role in ensuring regional security without the support or at least tacit acquiescence of the major powers, &no major power is ever going to allow any international institution to curb its freedom of decision in security matters"
"The very term Southeast Asia was not in general use until WW2 when the HQ of Allied SEA Command was located in Colombo - underscoring the fact that Southeast Asia is a geopolitical concept defined first in relation to the strategic imperatives of WW2, then the Cold War."
"Every country's policy in every domain is always a series of messy improvisations in response to unpredictable events. [...] All one can do is keep a distant star in sight while avoiding treacherous reefs and shoals, scooping up opportunities that might drift within reach."