Relations between countries are seldom formulated in isolation, being subject to pressure and even change by prevailing geopolitical winds. No country can afford to ignore these forces, especially when winds change direction. This reality amid the current turbulence in global affairs begs the question for both Australia and Singapore and, in fact, all countries – where do political winds propel us in our shared future for Asia?
Over the past decade or so, we have witnessed a reversion to past policies and practices, old unhealthy habits, and recidivism in geopolitics. As celebrated American author Mark Twain famously intuited: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”