The Dark Shadow Shrine

embrace the darkness; that you may see the light nestled within it......

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Trump-Kim summit: Singapore's improbable role in the North Korean imagination

Click HERE
If can't access above link, click HERE

Note closing BANG making reference to earlier mention of 'improbable role'

An interesting point brought up on Singapore's contribution to the peace process is not so much our providing a neutral and safe venue for the summit, but how we can be a role model or possibility for North Korea to envision themselves of the future, which will nudge it on its commitment to the peace process....After all, it has often been commented that Singapore did just did when Deng XiaoPing visited Singapore in the 1970s, sparking off the opening of Chins's economy....May history repeats itself here again?:
Perhaps being in Singapore these few days will remind Mr Kim and his fellow North Korean leaders about what is possible: That it is possible to open up economically, and evolve domestically at its own pace in a way that its people can accept, while retaining control of its own destiny.

In the end, Singapore's contribution to the summit might go beyond the fact that it provided the venue and hosted the event.
If Singapore, in some small way, shifts the mindsets of North Koreans when they envision a future for their country, to one that is both peaceful and prosperous, nudging it towards integration with the world and greater economic development, then we would have had an impact on the world far greater than we could have hoped for when we agreed to host the event.
Qns:
1. How far should countries address problems they did not contribute to. (SRJC Mid Yr 2017)
2. 'Small countries should not have a say in international affairs.' Comment. (SRJC Mid Yr 2017)
3. Consider the view that small countries cannot exert any real influence in world affairs. (NJC Prelim 2016)