Articles by Bilahari Kausikan

Bilahari Kausikan: The Korean Peninsula and the future of East Asian geopolitics

Former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan believes that a momentous strategic shift is underway on the Korean Peninsula, impacting the East Asian geopolitical landscape. The rise of a nuclear-armed North Korea and a transactional US alliance system are forcing a structural reset. An independent nuclear path for South Korea and Japan may be next.

Bilahari Kausikan

16 Oct 2026

Bilahari Kausikan: On international law and foreign policy

Former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan sounds the reminder that abiding by international law is a choice countries make in their own national interest, and that serving the latter is the only consistency in countries’ foreign policy, in a speech delivered at the Law Society of Singapore’s Public International Law Conference on 3 September 2026. This is an edited version of the transcript.

Bilahari Kausikan

18 Sep 2026

Bilahari Kausikan: How to think about foreign policy and geopolitics

Former Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan rues the general lack of understanding about foreign policy and geopolitics. On Ukraine, US-China relations and the wars in the Middle East, he offers some rubrics to fall back on in a speech delivered at the Humanity Matters Charity Conference at the Institute of Lifelong Learning in July. This is an edited version of the transcript.

Bilahari Kausikan

28 Aug 2026

Bilahari Kausikan: What does the American presidential election mean for Singapore and Asia?

Former permanent secretary of the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bilahari Kausikan shares his thoughts on the US elections, reflecting that the big pieces of US policy in Asia are already in place and are unlikely to change regardless of who wins. In that light, Singapore and Asia will find a way of working with whoever occupies the White House.

Bilahari Kausikan

04 Nov 2024