Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Balancing between Kausikan and Kishore

To do that and as usual to achieve it quickly and sorry, not often as clearly as I would have liked I am borrowing from Chan Heng Chee's piece yesterday in the ST.


Before getting to the "Post-US world order" Prof Chan explained the political genius of multiracialism in a Chinese majority nation. We always build upon our foundations and so a bit of history is always needed to get people on the same page.

It is superior insight and foresight acting with imagination and courage which produce strokes of genius (see a result of that from Prof Chan's sharing). I had over the years in this blog lamented that LKY's foresight is what we cannot replace when he is gone.

Draghi said he would defend the Euro at all costs. The Chinese attempted to defend the RMB with reserves. This is a quite recent example of which is the superior way. Words and intention are far more powerful than hard resources if we know how to use them.

When we have great foresight and the power to persuade others on it, we begin to punch above our weight. Qatar never had that but like the Chinese discounted for relative size they had money, and like the Chinese discovered you never have enough money. Today China is very tightfisted about money leaving the country. In other words even big countries must be careful about acting big. Instead all countries must learn to be wise. Resourceful countries can indulge in the occasional foolishness especially America but the rest of us pay a price far higher. Small countries could pay the ultimate price. Wisdom is not an option but a necessity for us. On that Kausikan was brilliant but not wise.

Big or small country is a static idea but a wise country is dynamic and adaptable toward ensuring its security and promoting its well being.

Go ahead and punch well above your weight but only if you have deep clear insight which is sufficient to power extraordinary foresight. Then you would succeed at persuading others to your point of view and finally add chutzpah to make it successful.

1 comment:

  1. paying millions for monkey is simply too much, now even monkey can say lky is a once in 50 yrs thing and none is the wiser

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