Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Lamentations for the international liberal order and calls from Canadian and European leaders to prepare for a post-American world are dramatic, but are they grounded in a thorough assessment of the structure of international relations or the core drivers of American engagement in the world? Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs and foreign affairs are the most disruptive in modern memory, but they are also unpopular with the American people. And while trust in the United States is the lowest on record in countries like Japan or Australia, support for alliance with the United States in those countries is the highest on record. At moments of apparent transformation in international affairs it is important to assess which changes are enduring and structural and which are not. Donald Trump thrives on unpredictability and provocation which are anathema to building partnerships in the world, but that does not necessarily mean that the next Congress or the next presidency will follow course. In fact, history suggests the opposite. Nevertheless, not all policies or institutions will return to the norm. There will be an unpredictability to any restoration of predictability in American foreign policy. Strategic partners like Singapore will have to carefully position themselves to have agency in this unfolding (and very American) process of deconstruction and renewal.
Speaker: Dr Michael Green, Chief Executive Officer, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney & Former Director for Asian Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Moderator: Prof Huang Chin-Hao, Co-Director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Associate Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS
#GovernancefortheFuture #publicpolicy #policymatters
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Lamentations for the international liberal order and calls from Canadian and European leaders to prepare for a post-American world are dramatic, but are they grounded in a thorough assessment of the structure of international relations or the core drivers of American engagement in the world? Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs and foreign affairs are the most disruptive in modern memory, but they are also unpopular with the American people. And while trust in the United States is the lowest on record in countries like Japan or Australia, support for alliance with the United States in those countries is the highest on record. At moments of apparent transformation in international affairs it is important to assess which changes are enduring and structural and which are not. Donald Trump thrives on unpredictability and provocation which are anathema to building partnerships in the world, but that does not necessarily mean that the next Congress or the next presidency will follow course. In fact, history suggests the opposite. Nevertheless, not all policies or institutions will return to the norm. There will be an unpredictability to any restoration of predictability in American foreign policy. Strategic partners like Singapore will have to carefully position themselves to have agency in this unfolding (and very American) process of deconstruction and renewal.
Speaker: Dr Michael Green, Chief Executive Officer, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney & Former Director for Asian Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Moderator: Prof Huang Chin-Hao, Co-Director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation and Associate Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS
#GovernancefortheFuture #publicpolicy #policymatters
================================================
Visit us
Website: http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg
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Twitter: twitter.com/lkysch
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Subscribe and click on the bell icon to be the first to watch our videos! 🔔
![[Foreseeable Podcast] Maritime heritage and the power of narrative](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9-e7GOEYnk/mqdefault.jpg "[Foreseeable Podcast] Maritime heritage and the power of narrative
Dr Marina Kaneti is an Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Her area of research centres on global governance and questions of migration, climate and geopolitical developments.
She has explored the influence of China around the world, including the Belt and Road initiative. Recently, she produced a two-part documentary series titled “The Seas That Bind Us and Define Us”, exploring maritime heritage and its significance in Asia.
She joins us to talk about maritime heritage, exploring the shaping and impact of narratives, and implications for the present and beyond.
#GovernancefortheFuture #publicpolicy #policymatters
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![[Policy Unpacked] Rethinking the Social Contract](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xIItBkAqDbs/mqdefault.jpg "[Policy Unpacked] Rethinking the Social Contract
In the first episode of our newly launched podcast series, “Policy Unpacked”, we explore Singapore’s “small nation, big journey,” featuring Terence Ho, Adjunct Associate Professor in Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and author of “How Singapore Beat the Odds.” The conversation explores why Singapore’s survival was uncertain at independence - small population, high unemployment, reliance on British bases - and how it built success through ideas and institutions rather than luck. Ho highlights the pivotal role of first-generation leaders like Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee, long-term planning, strong inter-agency coordination, and empowering capable people - principals, commanders, and civil servants - through mechanisms like block budgeting.
A core theme is Singapore’s pragmatic synthesis: drawing from both left and right (compassion and self-reliance), combining market forces with judicious state intervention, and adapting global best practices to local context. Policy evolution, such as shifting from streaming to subject-based banding, illustrates continuous recalibration to reduce stigma while keeping standards. The civil service complements political leadership as “intellectual equals,” increasingly communicating policies publicly, while tripartism builds trust and buy-in, countering the misconception of a purely top-down technocracy.
Associate Prof Ho outlines enduring tensions Singapore must balance: growth and equity, global openness and local identity, development and heritage. Looking ahead, he sees new “odds” in a fractured global trading system and disruptive AI, arguing for an updated success formula that layers resilience (domestic capabilities, local core) atop openness and investment in human capital. He is cautiously optimistic, citing strong institutions, societal trust, adaptability shown in COVID-19, and purposeful youth. His overarching takeaway: values - service, integrity, and evolving meritocracy - anchor Singapore’s policy playbook and continue to guide its inclusive, pragmatic path.
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![[Foreseeable Podcast] A new era: Outcome & significance of Indonesias 2024 presidential elections](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yh9Md94ONOs/mqdefault.jpg "[Foreseeable Podcast] A new era: Outcome & significance of Indonesias 2024 presidential elections
Indonesian voters in Southeast Asia’s largest democracy elected the ticket of former military general Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka in February 2024, but not without controversy. Gibran is the son of outgoing President Joko Jokowi Widodo, who is accused of manipulating the courts to allow Gibran to run despite being below the constitutional minimum age.
There are even charges of vote rigging that are being handled by Indonesia’s Election Supervisory Agency or Bawaslu and The General Elections Commission known as KPU.
Associate Professor Suzaina Kadir is Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and an expert on politics in Southeast Asia. As an avid Indonesia watcher, we wanted to get her take on what the upcoming administration means for Indonesia domestically, regionally and globally.
#GovernancefortheFuture #publicpolicy #policymatters
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