Amanat: The right lessons from her legacy

As 2012 draws to a close, most Singaporeans’ hearts are filled with sadness, not joy. All the triumphs and moments of elation this year—from our country’s first individual Olympic medal in more than 50 years to the broader Asian pride we feel every time somebody horses around to the Gangnam Style—have been rightly overshadowed by the shocking, abhorrent gang-rape of Amanat, the Indian lady who passed away in Singapore after having been flown here for medical treatment from Delhi, the scene of the crime. Continue reading “Amanat: The right lessons from her legacy”

Sudhir Thomas VadakethDecember 31, 2012March 21, 201323 Comments

Army, Malay, Malaysia, Muslim, PAP, Singapore

Reimagining the Singapore Armed Forces and National Service

(This is a continuation of “Singapore’s outdated national security policies”)

Fighting the real enemy: Reimagining the Singapore Armed Forces

Why does Singapore still need such a large standing Armed Forces? If we accept the argument that Singapore’s security threats have evolved over the years—and no longer includes “potentially hostile Muslim neighbours”—then our country needs to adapt, and prepare itself for today’s threats, not yesteryear’s. Continue reading “Reimagining the Singapore Armed Forces and National Service”

Sudhir Thomas VadakethDecember 19, 2012March 21, 201328 Comments

Army, Malay, Malaysia, Muslim, PAP, Singapore, USA

Singapore’s outdated national security policies

Synopsis

Singapore’s national security policies are outdated and in dire need of revision. These policies are heavily influenced by the paranoias of the 1960s, when a vulnerability fetish gave rise to a siege mentality amongst Singaporean leaders that persists today. But Singapore’s main security threats now are not other states but non-state actors, specifically pirates and terrorists. Continue reading “Singapore’s outdated national security policies”

Sudhir Thomas VadakethDecember 19, 2012March 21, 201331 Comments

Economist Group, FOMB Book Blog

Floating on a Malayan Breeze mentioned in this week’s Economist

Dear friends, our company will not review books written by staff, but we do list them at the end of the year, “What we wrote when we weren’t in the office”. So–nice to have made that list, at least. Continue reading Floating on a Malayan Breeze mentioned in this week’s Economist

Sudhir Thomas VadakethDecember 12, 2012June 1, 20201 Comment

FOMB Book Blog

Floating on a Malayan Breeze has been sent for a second print run!

Dear friends, I wanted to share some good news about my book, Floating on a Malayan Breeze. Barely two months after the launch, the book has been sent for a second print run. The first run of 1,750 is almost gone. That is small beer for an international book, but pretty good for a niche topic–when I first signed up with HKU Press, an editor … Continue reading Floating on a Malayan Breeze has been sent for a second print run!

Sudhir Thomas VadakethDecember 11, 20127 Comments