Large States and Small States in a Changing World Order

31 Aug Large States and Small States in a Changing World Order

The Qatar diplomatic crisis has sparked a debate in Singapore on the appropriate behaviour of small states. On 31 August, we held an evening talk with Professor Danny Quah, Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) and Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, on “Large States and Small States in a Changing World Order”.

Click here for a text summary of the event.

Photos from the event are also available on Facebook.

Original Event Synopsis:

Some say understanding a nation’s foreign policy means understanding the aspirations its people hold for themselves. The current debate in Singapore on the appropriate behaviour of small states – sparked in part by the Qatar diplomatic crisis – thus reflects domestic priorities, not just an external agenda. But at the same time, the debate reflects also more general, long-standing concerns on world order. Those questions have taken on particular resonance in the midst of what, by many accounts, is a global power shift: The international system stands poised on a transition away from the unipolarity dominated by the US, even while the form and structure remain unclear to which world order might shift. As other superpowers rise, how all nation states – both small and large – respond will provide critical defining forces for shaping the new international system.

From the perspective of this emerging world order, how do different small states – Singapore, Qatar, yet others – measure up? It is a truism that small and large states differ: how does the international system manage these differences, and what dimensions might the emerging world order use to assess the effective size of nations? What ideas on world order can help inform small nations, in particular, but large ones as well on both their true power and their binding limitations?

Speaker:
Prof. Danny Quah, Vice Dean (Academic Affairs), Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Moderator:
Prof. Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs

Event Details

Date: Thursday, 31 August 2017
Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm (Registration begins at 5:30pm; Talk commences at 6pm)
Venue: Singapore Institute of International Affairs
60A Orchard Road (Level 4M) Tower 1,
The Atrium @Orchard, International Involvement Hub,
Singapore 238890

Programme:

Registration: 

Admission is by invitation only. For more information or to express your interest in attending the event, please kindly email us at events@www.siiaonline.org and we will get back to you shortly.