For subscribers
Hegseth faces ‘vibe check’ from Asian peers in Shangri-La Dialogue debut
Pentagon chief’s first appearance at Asia’s premier security summit will test his diplomatic skills after controversies.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
No one will face more scrutiny than US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in his Shangri-La Dialogue debut.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
The recent video by the US mission in Singapore that likened the South China Sea dispute to neighbourhood squabbles in the city-state was telling – not only in its diplomatic insolence, but also in how its subtext revealed a patronising caricature of Singaporeans.
Those behind the video seemed to imagine an audience with a rudimentary understanding of the world requiring major dumbing down, rather than one of the most literate societies more than able to grasp complexities. It was a complete misread – a fundamental failure to understand who they were addressing. To put it simply, and to use millennial parlance: the vibes were off.
