Introduction
According to Singapore’s foreign affairs minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, the country has been in peace not only among the citizens but also with our neighbors. Also, we are enjoying good relations with the world’s major powers (Hermesauto, 2017). The peace is attributed to our great leaders and diplomats who have formulated and implemented the appropriate foreign policy principles. The paper is an analysis of Singapore as a vassal state in relation to Medical supplies restrictions by French and German Exports amid of coronavirus outbreak.
Second Principle-Singapore as a Vassal State
The second principle is based on Singapore not becoming a vassal state. This means that no amount of interest can buy or bully the country. The country has to been always excellently prepared in defense of its territory, its treasured assets, and our people’s ways of life. As a result of the stand, in 2017, the country celebrated fifty years of National Service. These efforts to safeguard the country are spearheaded by Singapore Armed Force (SAF). The success is attributed to SAF’s courage to defend what Singapore owns and what it holds to bear (Hermesauto, 2017).
Case Study1- Medical Supplies Export Restrictions by French and German
The Covid-19 outbreak in Spain and Italy has threatened the peaceful nature of the European Union (EU) Members. Recently both Germany and France have banned the exports of medical supplies hence posing a significant threat of shortage to smaller EU countries that have no capacity to produce the supplies such as masks (Tsang, 2020). Switzerland is one of the affected countries. At an urgent meeting of 27-country bloc health’s ministers in Brussels, the head of crisis management commissioner stated that such decisions could limit the ability of EU nations to fight against the pandemic (Guarascio, 2020).
Singapore’s Second Principle in Relation to Case Study 1
According to Singapore’s second principle, the interests of the country come first. Thus, the health well-being of the citizens should not compromise for another country’s failure to have insufficient supplies. Our country has laid down enough precautions to safeguard its people, and thus its efforts should not be jeopardized by another country’s unpreparedness. The case study closely relates to the second principle as it seeks to protect citizen’s lives amidst a crisis. Also, it justifies the country’s stand from being bullied by others for protecting Singaporeans for not sharing its resources where there may be a shortage of essential resources.
One lesson that Singapore can learn from the case study is that shortage of essential supplies may hit the country, and thus there is a need always to have emergency response measures. Also, although we have established good relationships with countries that import the essential goods, in times of disasters such as the outbreak of Covid-19, the imports may be restricted or limited in relation to the prevailing needs. Thus, through innovation and creativity, it is critical to utilize locally available raw materials to make them. Generally, it is advisable to be always prepared for the worst situations or disasters.