Clément Renaud

PM Lee addresses and the post-colonial legacy of leadership


I just read this article in Foreign Policy by Singapore Prime Minister about the threat of US-China crossfire for Asian countries.

As expected, this is a very conservative and consensual take. Still, it struck me that a head of state can actually express his world views in such a clear and articulate writing. I remember watching his covid19 address in February and thinking it was an act of class too. I almost forgot prime ministers could write and speak clearly!

Like his father, PM Lee personifies the highly-educated, post-colonial, global leadership with his subtle mix of no-nonsense claims, financial greed, military expertise, and British manners. Interestingly, such profiles seem to be disappearing from the European and US political sphere but are now very present in Asia.

Not to say that this old-fashioned reactionary leaders are any good for Asian countries. But writing more than three structured sentences in a row without contradicting oneself sounds like a good requirement to govern.