World Scientific Singapore

30/10/2025

Great Power Games

The ongoing rivalry between US and China stretches across various domains. Simon Tay (Singapore Institute of International Affairs, Singapore) discusses how Singapore and other ASEAN countries should leverage their strategic positions while safeguarding their interests in an increasingly polarized world:

“For decades, and especially since the end of the Cold War, the global order has been marked by American leadership and a generally stable and positive relationship with China. This has been
especially important for the global economy and international trade. There is a large and deep economic interdependence between the two largest economies in the world, and this has created tremendous benefits for the world and the Asia-Pacific region.
“Asean and Singapore, in particular, have gained from both: benefiting from the stability of the US as a political and security anchor in the region, and from participating in the vast economic opportunities represented by China’s rise. The established formula has been to participate in Asian production chains centred on China, and then to export these manufactures to the US and the West. The rise of the region has been in tandem and indeed in consequence of being part of a US-led global system. Largely and for a long time, the US and the West welcomed this as part of the partnerships and tutelage into a global community based on rules.
“This began to change from the global financial crisis. While the US and Europe slowed, China and Asia continued rising, and intra-Asian levels of trade and investment continue to rise. The shift of Sino-American relations to the negative is of global consequence, but the implications are perhaps greatest for Asia and especially Singapore. For while our country is small, we have enjoyed long-standing long ties with both.”

Sail with us to an “Island in the World” and learn about “Singapore’s Geopolitical DNA”: (https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/14337)

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28/10/2025

The North Star

Ho Kwon Ping shares his thoughts on strategic planning and why having a good strategy is only half the battle won:

“To KP, a strategy is a roadmap, one that you use to plot your journey to a stated goal or objective. The roadmap shouldn’t be cluttered with minutiae, but sufficiently sketch out the journey in broad strokes. As a map, it sets your North Star and gives you a firm sense of direction. Overlaid on this map is your plan, or the detailed steps and milestones you want to meet along the way. It should include ways to speed up the journey, or circumvent or overcome specific obstacles along the way.
“‘I think the strategy is critical as a roadmap to get you from where you are now, whether it be a vision or a consumer insight — the first Eureka moment — to the pot of gold. It may be inchoate and not completely articulated, and you must constantly refer to it over time,’ he says. ‘A strategy is always alive and top of mind, not a well-written, pretty document which you dream up and then file away.’
“But having a strategy is just half the picture; a good set of ideas, no matter how dynamic or detailed, still need to be implemented successfully. As Winston Churchill once said, ‘Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.’ Building on KP’s earlier analogy, if a strategy is a map, you still need a daily driving schedule in order to arrive on time and stay within budget.”

Pick up your copy of the SBPA 2025 Singapore Book Awards Best Professional Title – read “Behind the Banyan: Ho Kwon Ping on building a global brand” today! (https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/13767)

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27/10/2025

Something exciting is happening! How many books do you see?

27/10/2025

📖✨ 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫!

🇸🇬 What makes Singapore’s identity so unique — and so united?

From kopitiam conversations to national debates on race, religion, and language, 𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 by 𝐄𝐮𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐊𝐁 𝐓𝐚𝐧 (Singapore Management University) explores how our shared values, stories, and struggles continue to shape what it means to be Singaporean.

🌏 A powerful collection that reflects on three decades of nation-building, 𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 reminds us that diversity is not our weakness — it’s our strength.

📚 Available now at 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚 and the 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 website.
🔗 https://doi.org/10.1142/14275

23/10/2025

The Gazelle and the Lion

How should Singapore position itself to best meet the challenges of the future? Lim Siong Guan, Emeritus Professor at the National University of Singapore, refers to an old adage to explain his opinion:

“There is an old African saying that goes, ‘Every day the gazelle wakes up knowing that, if it cannot outrun the fastest lion, it is going to be somebody’s breakfast. Every day the lion wakes up knowing that if it cannot outrun the slowest gazelle, it will go hungry.’
“We may wonder, when we think of Singapore, whether we should see ourselves as the lion or the gazelle.
“The first thing to observe is that, whether we are the lion or the gazelle, every day when we wake up, we had better be running. Secondly, while we, as Singaporeans of the Lion City, might naturally think we should be like the lion, it happens to be the wrong answer this time.
“There is a big difference whether we run as Number One or Number Two. The lion in the African saying, as Number Two, needs only to follow whatever way the gazelle goes, so long as it keeps up its alertness and its stamina. The gazelle, as Number One, needs not only to run fast, but has to continually assess whether there is a route it can take which the lion cannot follow. So while physical stamina is critical for both lion and gazelle, mental agility is especially critical for the gazelle. I believe Singapore is unique in the world in our geography and our demographics. To have a Number Two frame of mind is the way of mediocrity and perhaps even disaster.”

Curious about what lies ahead for Singapore? Read “Can Singapore Fall? Making the Future for Singapore” today! (https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/10935)

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23/10/2025

Over 160 guests filled the National Library’s POD last Thursday, 16 October, for the launch of Ascent Towards Pinnacle: Community Development and Singapore Muslim Identity in Secular State by Mohammad Alami Musa.

The event was graced by Guest of Honour, Madam Halimah Yacob, who shared her reflections on the book and its significance to Singapore’s community development journey.

📚 Ascent Towards Pinnacle traces the evolution of the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore — from the challenges of under-development after independence to becoming an achievement-oriented and engaged community that contributes meaningfully to national life.

📖 The book is currently sold out, but a reprint is coming soon!
🔗 Learn more or pre-order here: https://doi.org/10.1142/14292

23/10/2025

🎧 Former Straits Times editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng reflects on negotiating OB markers and managing newsroom pressures in this BiblioAsia+ episode by the National Library Singapore.

For a deeper look into his years at The Straits Times and Singapore’s media landscape, read his memoir OB Markers: My Straits Times Story 👉 https://doi.org/10.1142/14329

BiblioAsia+ · Episode