Your statements are dangerous and presumptuous!
What do you think that by providing US armed forces with
facilities here we have become a "US military outpost"? Singapore
is not like Thailand during Vietnam war. Right now we have a
camp in Sayok, so is Thailand now " a military outpost" of
Singapore?
Why do you think we need the US to "protect the island state
from neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia"?
and why do you assume that "it could probably go far beyond that
to encircling and holding back China"?
You make a wrong accusation against Singapore and you want to
ask what is our main objective? as a Thai, you ought to be ashamed
of yourself for such a lack of understand and respect for your
fellow ASEAN neighbour.
sgdiehard, don't rush to the conclusion that I disrespect
Singapore. I have never denied the fact that Thailand is also a US
and also Singaporean military outposts in this region.
You said: Why do you think we need the US to "protect the
island state from neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia"?
Well, geographically Singapore is a resourceless island,
surrounded by bigger countries like Malaysia and Indonesia who do
not share common ethnicity and culture with Singapore. Singapore
even depends on fresh water supply from Malaysia although your
government has attempted to implement some sort of water
reclamation technology. Let alone food supplies. Put it differently
Singapore needs to seek security.
You said: and why do you assume that "it could probably go
far beyond that to encircling and holding back China"?
Well, wasn't Singapore the first SE Asian nation to support 'War
on Terror' campaign? I still remember broadly Donald Rumsfeld
visiting Singapore and giving speech in a security conference. He
cited indirectly about the need for the US to station in the region
as part of 'War on Terror' and to counterweight some sort of
'growing threat'. That growing threat couldn't be anybody else but
China. And if you look at the map of East Asia, you would find a
big picture that the US has built either military bases or allies
that it sells arms to around China. Bases in Japan and South Korea.
Constant arm sales to Taiwan. Attempt to court Vietnam to open a
port. Attempt to bring independent-minded India away from Russia.
Then there are non-NATO allies like the Philippines, Thailand,
Singapore and Australia.
