How S'pore built diplomatic soft power

Not So Little Red Dot shows 60 years of Singapore's diplomacy in seven key episodes

- Zakir Hussain Associate Editor

Shortly after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Singapore issued a strong condemnation of the unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country, and announced sanctions on Moscow.

Singapore diplomats in Moscow saw an uptick in harassment, and surveillance.

Ambassador S. Premjith was shown vulgar signs and shouted at by strangers a few times as his car entered the embassy. He instructed his colleagues to vary their daily schedules and movements as a precautionary measure.

Some of them noticed their meetings with other diplomats were openly filmed, and had to look over their shoulder more frequently.

"It was hostile, but nothing threatening," Mr Premjith, who is now based in Riyadh, recalls in a new book on Singapore's foreign policy, Not So Little Red Dot: 60 Years Of Singapore’s Diplomacy, that takes the reader back in time to various episodes that tested the mettle of its diplomats.

The day after Singapore announced sanctions, Mr Premjith was at a lunch Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted for Asean ambassadors.

"Why is Singapore getting entangled in the geopolitics of Europe? Can't you follow your other Asean countries and stay out of it?" Mr Lavrov asked.

Mr Premjith reiterated Singapore’s position, noting that Russia - as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council - should set an example for others, but had committed an egregious violation in invading a much smaller country.

"I had to be blunt. But I also had to make these points because one of our reasons for Singapore's strong position was to send a message to our neighbouring countries," he said.

"We don't want a world where might is right."

Singapore had, after all, taken a similar principled position in opposing Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia in 1978, and the United States’ invasion of Grenada in 1983.