ABSTRACT
This is the first systematic treatment of Lee's lifetime of thoughts on international affairs which had been shaped and continues to be shaped by both contemplation and experience. It has been said that one can always survive a mistake in domestic affairs but can get killed by one made in foreign policy. 1 Lee has this uncanny ability to foresee the political trends which must have helped Singapore to be so nimble in the conduct of its foreign relations. It might be worth reading this book in conjunction with Lee's memoir. 2 While the memoir, written many years after the events it describes, is definitely more reflective and had been processed by Lee's summing up of his experience, this book by allowing his words to speak for themselves and by letting his thoughts then come alive, hopefully will illuminate the framework of one aspect of his Singapore story – Singapore's international relations. It is said that ideas have impact on policy by acting as roadmaps or as H.W. Brands put it, “Force may be how international affairs are waged; ideas are why?” 3 To understand Singapore's foreign policy, it is imperative to understand Lee Kuan Yew's thoughts and ideas.
