With an accurate judgment and understanding of the world and Southeast Asian situations and combining the foreign policies of“neutrality and non-ally”with Singapore’s national condition,Mr.Lee Kuan Yew,the first Primer Minster of Singapore,developed“the balance of power”strategy.With that as a guideline,Singapore has been trying to keep the good reˉlations with world powers to obtain their assistance and support in economy and politics and relying mainly on the power of America and Japan to keep the balance of powers in Singapore and Southeast Asia,thus succeeding in maintaining the national security and independence and gaining the steady and fast economic growth.
Fromthe mid and late1980s,the countries with fastest economic development in East Asia successively began their political transitions from authoritarian power to democracy.In Singapore,it began its transition with the government’s guidance and gradually adjusted the original structures so that the authoritarian structures were slowly shifted into a steady democratic system.As a result,it saved itself from paying both huge social and political cost,maintaining the concerted develˉopment in its society and economy.
