Forum: A small country like Singapore cannot rely on goodwill alone to stay safe
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The recent events involving Venezuela are a sobering reminder of a simple truth in today’s world ( Captured Maduro to face drug charges, says US after strike on Venezuela
Many of us believe strongly in international law, diplomacy and global cooperation. These ideals matter, and they should continue to guide how nations behave.
But we should not kid ourselves. When interests collide and rules are stretched or ignored, military strength still decides what a country can protect and what it cannot.
This is why Singapore has made a clear and deliberate choice to spend the most on defence in its national budget, over $23 billion or 3 per cent of gross domestic product. A small country with no natural resources, but possessing significant wealth and strategic importance, cannot rely on goodwill alone to stay safe.
Venezuela sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, yet without effective governance and a strong national defence, that wealth has become a vulnerability rather than a shield.
Resources can be pressured, constrained or taken when a state lacks the ability to protect its own interests.
For Singapore, the lesson is straightforward. Everything we have built – our economy, our infrastructure, our way of life – is secure only because it is defended. Defence is about ensuring that peace remains the most rational choice.
Daniel Tay Xiong Sheng
