Is ASEAN Serious About Nuclear Power?
The authors discuss the prospects of nuclear power and the state of nuclear governance in the region.
Commentaries & Opinion Editorials
Singapore’s Journey to the 2019 UN General Assembly
The most important meeting in the world takes place each year in New York. This is the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). It is attended by the leaders and representatives of the 193 member states. The UNGA is the closest thing we have to a ‘parliament’ of the world, where every …
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UN Climate Action Summit: Unlocking the Paris Agreement
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement holds the key to ground-up cooperation involving multiple stakeholders from governments, businesses, the private sector, and civil society.
Modern Slavery in the Global Food Market: A Litmus Test for the Proposed Business and Human Rights Treaty
A recent initiative to adopt the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights (BHRT) is an attempt to correct the imbalance between rights and obligations of corporations in the field of human rights. While companies regularly invoke human rights to defend their interests, they lack corresponding obligations to respect and uphold such rights throughout their …
My Birthday Wishes for Singapore
This is a very special year for Singapore. First, we are celebrating the 54th anniversary of Singapore’s Independence. Second, we are commemorating the 200th anniversary of the British East India Company setting up a trading post in Singapore. Third, we are also reflecting on our pre-colonial history, which stretches back 700 years to the 14th …
A Birthday Letter to America
The United States of America was born on the 4th of July 1776. I wish America a happy 243rd Birthday on the 4th of July 2019. I have spent 21 years of my life in that country. As a result, I have developed very positive feelings for America. In this essay, I wish to answer …
The Earth Summit’s Legacy: An Assessment
I will never forget the date, 14 June 1992, for as long as I live. On that day, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, popularly known as the Earth Summit, came to a successful conclusion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In March 1990, the UN elected me as Chairman of the Preparatory Committee …
Freedom of Navigation Following the M/V “Norstar” Case
This post analyses the doctrinal contributions of the ‘Norstar’ Judgement to both freedom of navigation (Article 87(1)(a) of UNCLOS) and exclusive flag state jurisdiction (Article 92(1) of UNCLOS). The post concludes with a brief discussion as to if and why the Tribunal may wish to clarify its position on these issues in any forthcoming M/T …
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Why China Stands to Gain from Freedom of Navigation Rights
Recent press reports indicate that the government of China has protested the transit of US, French and British naval vessels through the waters surrounding islands it occupies in the South China Sea and through the Taiwan Strait. As a result, commentators have called for the development of a rules-based order for naval operations in East …
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Thoughts Turn to the Workers in May
The first of May is celebrated in most countries in the world as the International Workers’ Day or simply May Day. It is a national public holiday. In this month of May, to honour the workers of the world, I felt inspired to study and recap the history of the minimum wage. My purpose is …