Wait, when were Americans talking about Singapore in the first place?!!

To be clear, I am not blaming Singapore on this one.  But it is striking to me how much Americans do not talk about Singapore any more.  They are much, much more likely to talk about Europe or England, for instance.  I see several reasons for this: 1. Much of the Singapore fascination came from the right-wing, as the country offered (according to some) a right-wing version of what a technocracy could look like.  Yet today’s American political right is not very interested in technocracy. 2. Singapore willingly takes in large numbers of immigrants (in percentage terms), and tries to make that recipe work through a careful balancing act.  That approach still is popular with segments of the right-wing intelligentsia, but it is hardly on the agenda today.  For the time being, it is viewed as something “better not to talk about.”  Especially in light of some of the burgeoning anti-Asian sentiment, for instance from Helen Andrews and some others.  It is much more common that Americans talk about foreign countries mismanaging their immigration policies, for instance the UK and Sweden. 3. Singaporean government looks and feels a bit like a “deep state.”  I consider that terminology misleading as applied to Singapore, but still it makes it harder for many people to praise the place. 4. Singapore is a much more democratic country than most outsiders realize, though they do have an extreme form of gerrymandering.  Whatever you think of their system, these days it no longer feels transgressive, compared to alternatives being put into practice or at least being discussed.  Those alternatives range from more gerrymandering (USA) to various abrogations of democracy (potentially all over).  In this regard Singapore, without budging much on its own terms, seems like much more of a mainstream country than before.  That means there is less to talk about. 4b. Singapore’s free speech restrictions, whatever you think of them, no longer seem so far outside the box.  Trump is suing plenty of people.  The UK is sending police to knock on people’s doors for social media posts, and so on.  That too makes Singapore more of a “normal country,” for better or worse (I would say worse). 5. The notion of an FDI-driven, MNE-driven growth strategy seems less exciting in an era of major tech advances, most of all AI.  Singapore seems further from the frontier than a few years ago.  People are wishing to talk about pending changes, not predictability, with predictability being a central feature of many Singaporean service exports. 6. If you want to talk about unusual, well-run small countries, UAE is these days a more novel case to consider, with more new news coming out of it. Sorry Singapore, we are just not talking about you so much right now!  But perhaps, in some significant ways, that is a blessing in disguise.  At least temporarily.  I wrote this post in part because I realize I have not much blogged about Singapore for some years, and I was trying to figure out why. Addendum, from Ricardo in the comments:

lanjiao la

This incident has really broken my heart. My phone hasn't stopped buzzing with updates, and honestly, reading through the comments online has been really tough to handle. I've known the driver for years, since before 2020 actually. I met her husband more recently, shortly after he relocated here from the UAE late last year. From the very first time we met, they were both so warm, down-to-earth, and genuinely welcoming. No airs at all, even though I later realised their family is quite well-off. They never flaunt it though, they live simply, drive normal cars, dress modestly, and just come across as humble everyday people. Just to clear up one thing I keep seeing repeated online: she isn't an Indian national. She's a Singapore citizen. Yes, she came from India originally, but she's been naturalised here for a long time now and Singapore is truly her home. Dragging nationality into this tragedy doesn't help anyone involved. I first got to know her through her work at a dental clinic. She was always so gentle and kind, the type who would take extra time with a scared little kid or make sure an elderly patient felt comfortable. That's just her character: someone who genuinely cares and goes out of her way for people. When I was dealing with a really tough personal situation, and she stepped in without me even asking. She made sure someone I cared about was properly looked after so they wouldn't run into any trouble. She didn't have to do that, but that's who she is. It meant the world to me. This was a truly horrific accident, and my heart aches for the family who lost their little girl. There's just no words for that pain, and nothing can fix it. At the same time, it hurts to see people online calling her horrible names and treating her like some kind of monster. One terrible moment doesn't wipe out years of being a good, kind person. She's devastated and shattered right now. I really hope we can all take a breath before judging someone's whole life based on a headline or a couple of photos. A little compassion really matters in times like this. Thanks for taking the time to read this.