Going it Alone Is Not the Answer to Security Questions: Chan Chun Sing

Guard rails and communication channels help reduce risk of miscalculation, he says

- Wong Pei Ting

Political and military leaders must arrest the temptation to go it alone when they feel insecure, as history has many examples of such an approach backfiring, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said on June 1.

This is as attempts to prioritise one's security without due regard for international laws and norms could easily lead to greater insecurity in others, sparking a vicious spiral that begets greater insecurity, Mr Chan said at the sixth and final plenary session of the Shangri-La Dialogue.

This applies to all aspects of security, including countries' economic well-being, he added, recalling a point made by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the forum a day earlier that faltering trade has consequences that ripple beyond any one region.

Mr Chan said today's world is not unlike the 1930s, when beggar-thy-neighbour policies arguably contributed to expansionist and irredentist foreign policies that culminated in World War II.

As competition in the security and economic domains increase, so has the need for guard rails and communication channels to reduce the risk of miscalculation, he said.

He cited how Singapore and Malaysia both respected an international tribunal's directive when there was a disagreement over reclamation works, and thereby managed to reach an amicable settlement.

"While the issue began with acrimony, the warmth and civility between the negotiating teams led to an amicable resolution," Mr Chan noted.

The two neighbours still have their differences, but have continued to deepen cooperation, such as through the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, he said.