ABSTRACT
The strategic convergence achieved between the People's Action Party and the Civil Service also led to greater congruence between high and low politics in that the bureaucracy became a useful instrument in remoulding the domestic political culture. Association of Southeast Asian Nation's decision to deal collectively with the situation provided some respite for Singapore and especially Thailand. In terms of policy alignments and changes, following the political stabilization of its immediate operational environment in Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore sought a credible balance of great power presence in Southeast Asia. Traditionally Japan's intrusion into Southeast Asia during the Cold War was limited to the economic sphere, owing to its self-imposed restraint in political and economic matters and the region's memories of Japanese wartime brutalities. The significant structural changes in international relations associated with the post-Cold War period obtained some fundamental changes to Singapore's foreign policy output as well.
