Deterrence and diplomacy

As a small state with physical and resource constraints, Singapore attaches great importance to, and expends considerable resources on, effective deterrence supported by diplomacy. Singapore has come a long way from the immediate post-independence period when Lee Kuan Yew felt compelled to declare: “We intend to fight for our stake in this part of the world, and [to] anybody who thinks they can push us around, I say: over my dead body”. ¹ Now, with its economic strength, political stability, technological prowess, and sophisticated armed forces, Singapore is considered by some to be a middle power, albeit one with no strategic territorial depth. ²