Soft power: Singapore has what it takes

Heng Yee Kuang, For The Straits Times 3 Jul 10;

CHINA is a big fan of it. The Japanese wield it in abundance. South Korean and Indian policymakers are talking about it. But how does Singapore fare in the Asian 'soft' power stakes?

The Republic's hosting of two major international events this week - the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) and the World Cities Summit - provides a glimpse into Singapore's very own 'soft' power.

Harvard University's Professor Joseph Nye's idea of soft power emphasises a country's power of 'attraction', as opposed to 'coercion'. Soft power stems from the attractive values expressed in a country's culture as well as its domestic and international policies. Prof Nye believes the most influential soft powers not only ooze cultural appeal, but also champion policies that embody prevailing global norms and advance values and interests that others share.

But soft power in practice is often equated with cultural appeal, and Asian countries - China, Japan, India and South Korea - are leading the way in this area. China's Confucius Institutes help put a positive spin on its ancient culture. The world's first Japan Creative Centre based in Singapore showcases contemporary Japanese pop culture as well as cutting-edge solutions to environmental problems. The Koreans and Indians are leveraging off the 'K-Wave' obsession with Korean cultural exports and Bollywood films, respectively.

Singapore's multi-ethnic culture has its plus points, not least in terms of diversity and cuisine. But let's put aside Singapore's potential cultural appeal for a moment. It is in the second aspect of Prof Nye's conceptual framework - embodying prevailing global norms - where Singapore could excel. Indeed, some Singaporean policy initiatives encapsulate values and interests that come close to prevailing global norms. The two major events this week are a case in point.

Themed Sustainable Cities: Clean And Affordable Water, this year's SIWW could well set the city-state up nicely to ride the wave of the international zeitgeist where sustainable development and access to clean water are firmly planted on the global agenda. Taking the lead on these issues could generate soft power in an attractive way.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew revealed in a dialogue session at the SIWW that when it comes to Singapore's water management, 'today, three-quarters of the island is a catchment. By the next decade, the whole island will be a catchment'. The ways in which Singapore has developed solutions to its water challenges - from Newater to desalination technology to the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System - offer an attractive model for other countries facing similar water woes.

Similarly, reflecting global concerns about accelerating urbanisation around the world, the World Cities Summit was themed Liveable And Sustainable Cities For The Future. The Global Liveable Cities Index released at the summit ranked Singapore third in the world and first in Asia. Its expertise in urban planning and sustainable development could be another niche soft power platform that Singapore can leverage off. Its success in public housing makes it 'one of the cities that are inspiring, especially for its best practices', said United Nations Human Settlements Programme executive director Anna Tibaijuka.

Another notable initiative that can project Singapore's soft power is the Tianjin Eco-City project that is being jointly developed with China. The project addresses, among other issues, energy efficiency, waste and water management and green transportation. Its aim is to 'create a mode, which will benefit not only other cities in China, but also other countries that are facing similar challenges'.

Being an attractive soft power delivers economic benefits. Singapore, by positioning itself astride global norms and delivering policy solutions, can achieve its goal of generating new growth sectors in environment-related technologies. The SIWW and World Cities Summit both provide a forum for businesses, enabling them to exhibit new innovations at these gatherings.

Indeed, SIWW managing director Michael Toh hopes Water Week will serve as a platform for business networking. Singapore water companies Hyflux and Sembcorp now have a global presence, the latter sealing an agreement at the SIWW with Abu Dhabi Water Authority to build a $200 million desalination facility. Keppel Corporation, too, has got involved in the sector. It has launched its newest waste-to-energy plant and is developing new membrane-based distillation technology for desalinated water.

Taken together with the Economic Development Board's recent brand campaign to repackage Singapore as 'creative', and not just efficient, the SIWW and World Cities Summit suggest that Singapore does potentially possess some form of soft power, even if the underlying conceptual rationale for it has not quite been explicitly stated. Is it possible then to catapult the city-state higher up the soft power leader board?

A more holistically designed policy framework would first need to systematically identify and then promote the sources of Singapore's soft power, ranging from its cultural appeal to its developmental transition from Third World to First. This could involve bringing together all arms of the government, business sector, civil society and academia in a concerted 'big-tent' assessment of the benefits that soft power could bring to Singapore.

Our Asian neighbours have certainly not been blind to soft power and we would be wise to take note.

The writer, a Singaporean, teaches international relations at the University of St Andrews. Currently on sabbatical, he will be based at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.