Singapore to bolster middle power, regional ties amid 'geostrategic tectonic plate rupture': Vivian Balakrishnan
CNA
"We are now in a world where international relations are no longer driven primarily by rules or by attempts to achieve consensus," the Foreign Affairs Minister says.
SINGAPORE: Singapore will strengthen partnerships with middle powers and regional blocs as it navigates a "geostrategic tectonic plate rupture", Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said.
Speaking in parliament on Friday (Feb 27) as he laid out his ministry's priorities for the year, Dr Balakrishnan said that the post-World War II international order – built on multilateralism, international law, free markets, global supply chains and institutions like the United Nations – has come to an end.
The populist backlash against globalisation has been blamed for widening inequality, middle-class stagnation, job losses, growing despair and deep polarisation, he said.
"This domestic dysfunction has now projected itself onto the global stage, and you'll see that this has undermined the support for the international order," he added.
"This is not just a small tremor. This is a geostrategic tectonic plate rupture."
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