America's Little Dragon: Singapore and the fight against terrorism.

Many have only heard of Singapore in reference to the famous drink the "Singapore Sling" named after the tiny bustling island nation. Located in Southeast Asia, Singapore is little known to the majority of westerners, although it is very well known to the estimated 7000 multi-national corporations that operate out of the conservate yet business friendly city-state.

So what does Singapore have to do with the fight against terrorism, or in Middle East politics for that matter? Well, let me enlighten you to a much overlooked aspect of U.S. policy decisions in respect to Asia and the Middle East.

Due to Singapore’s strategic location on major sea lanes, combined with an industrious population has given the country a unique economic importance in Southeast Asia that is disproportionate to its small size. According to the State Department of the United States, in response to its lack of natural resources, Singapore adopted a pro-business, pro-foreign investment, export-oriented economic policy framework . Thus, the United States has maintained formal diplomatic relations with Singapore since 1965 following its independence. The subsequent efforts by the Singapore government to maintain economic growth and political stability, in conjunction with its pro-business, pro-foreign investment policy framework have created a solid basis for the harmonious relations with the United States. Singapore has produced real growth that averaged eight percent from 1969 to 1999, reaching a high of ten percent by the year 2000. The effects of this growth have been directly influential to the position that Singapore holds in regards to America’s presence in Southeast Asia, making Singapore the United States’ strongest supporter in the region.

Singapore boasts one of the most conservative societies of Southeast Asia, and many of the politicians subsequently view jihadi groups as a prime security threat, a worldwide view it shares equally with Washington. Yet even before the emergence of jihadi groups to the region, Singapore viewed the U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific as crucial to its security and regional stability. Perceived threats from the Soviet Union, a growing Chinese military, and a nearby Japan loomed heavily in the minds of the little island. With the emergence of global terrorist organizations, and the spread of Al Qaeda's ties in Southeast Asia, Singapore became even more influential in American foreign policy.

To compliment the economic relationship between America and Singapore, the government of Singapore and its citizens for the most part, also support a strong American military presence in Asia. In June 2004 at the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies conference in Singapore, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged “our steadfast friends here in Singapore” in the context of facing terrorism and other security challenges.

The United States and Singapore have come to view each other as vital partners, especially in regards to regional security and the “war on terrorism”. In 2000, Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, told the Williamsburg Conference that “no other country can substitute for the U.S.”. In 2005, not long after the Prime Minister made public Singapore’s ardent support for the United States, the two governments signed a Strategic Framework Agreement that updated a 1990 Memorandum of Understanding allowing U.S. military forces to exercise with Singaporean forces.

Recently, as of June of this year, the Singapore Armed Forces, the United States Navy, and the United States Coast Guard are all participating in the annual U.S.-Singapore Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise , the fourteenth exercise of the series that began in 1995. Additionally, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, Singapore hosts between eighty and one hundred U.S. Navy ship visits per year. Complimenting the Naval ship visits, Singapore has constructed a new dock on the Changi Naval Pier for U.S. carriers as well as extended the runway at the Changi International Airport out to the dock. Officials from the U.S. Navy noted that, “It will be the only facility where planes can be off-loaded from carriers in this part of the world” . Clearly Singapore has taken major steps in ensuring the United States remains an active presence in Southeast Asia.

So, after all that, I will address the fact that Singapore is and will continue to be a major influence for U.S. policy in both Southeast Asia and in regards to the Middle East. Next time a policy is enacted, look for the connection to Singapore, I'm sure you will not be dissapointed.