ABSTRACT
Pragmatism in foreign policy has generally been less controversial than in domestic policy. In foreign policy, the continual presence of outside threats can be used to justify pragmatic decision-making. In domestic policy, this ‘external threat’ justification has grown less persuasive in recent years, with the decline of the communist threat. The 1961 water agreement was due to expire in 2011 and, during the negotiations, the Malaysian side announced its intention to raise the raw water price. Pressured to achieve water independence from Malaysia, Singapore chose to put its energy in technological innovation rather than focusing purely on negotiation strategies. Singapore’s position was thus a product of its distinctive geographic situation. While counterfactual reasoning is a dubious exercise, it seems reasonable to assume that the same leadership team in charge of a far bigger state would have cared little for a small state sovereignty and the tenets of international law.
