Think tanks can reduce the risk of miscalculation — Channel NewsAsia
In Singapore, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said that think tanks can help reduce the risk of miscalculation amid geopolitical tensions. During a lecture marking the 30th anniversary of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), he stressed that the country needs a deeper understanding of international processes in order to remain relevant, connected and ahead of change.
As Channel NewsAsia reports, Chan said that rivalry between the United States and China now encompasses trade, technology, supply chains and ideology. According to him, cyberspace has also eroded the protection once provided by physical distance.
Understanding neighbours and major powers
The minister said that RSIS must build deep knowledge of the people, institutions and factors that shape international politics. This, he said, requires long-term research, language skills, established contacts and immersion in the lives of other societies, as such understanding cannot be formed quickly once a crisis is already underway.
Chan mentioned the need to analyse China's perception of national rejuvenation, the domestic political and institutional factors behind US policy, as well as changes in Indonesia and Malaysia. He said that Singapore must continually demonstrate its relevance to the United States and China, while relations with Malaysia and Indonesia cannot be left without due attention.
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Answering a question about relations with Washington and Beijing, the minister said that Singapore is not guided by a binary approach and always chooses its own national interests. In his view, the country must remain an open platform for cooperation and earn trust as an honest broker.
Technology and security
Chan said that artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and drones are changing the ways conflicts are conducted and power is projected. Commercial technologies, he said, have also given smaller states and non-state actors capabilities that previously required substantial resources.
He noted that conflicts begin not only with gunfire, but also in cyberspace, the information environment and the “grey zone” below the threshold of conventional war. Where technologies cross state borders, think tanks can help develop a shared understanding and expectations of responsible behaviour in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation, the minister said.
During the question-and-answer session, Chan also commented on the conflict in the Middle East. In his view, peace requires recognition of everyone's right to exist and strong political leadership capable of building a shared future.
