What a Clinton or Trump presidency means for Singapore

The Straits Times

15 May 2016

If there is a far and away best person in the White House to give Singapore an easier time, it would be Mrs Hillary Clinton.

The Democratic front runner has championed a stronger role for the US around the world, which dovetails with Singapore’s desire for an American presence in the region to balance against China.

Mrs Clinton, 68, is also familiar to Singapore, having been in US politics for decades and made a visit here as US Secretary of State back in 2012.

… “All things considered, Singapore will likely find a Clinton victory the most palatable, albeit by no means perfect, of the three options,” says international relations professor Tan See Seng of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

He explains that a Trump victory will be seen by Singapore as hugely problematic, because policymakers here view the Japan-US security alliance as a key pillar of the region’s continued stability.

“Should Trump’s ‘America First’ stance lead the US towards isolationism, the alliance could suffer, and the region along with it,” says Dr Tan.

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