Conceptualising equidistant diplomacy in international relations : the case of Singapore

• Main Author: Teo, Ang Guan
• Other Authors: Kei Koga
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Political science
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/150457
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Asia is at the frontline of the ongoing power transition. Under such a strategic environment, how secondary states respond has piqued the interest of International Relations (IR) scholars. However, the existing literature remains relatively rooted in the neorealist tradition and has thus privileged the effects of material factors while neglecting the importance of cognitive processes. This phenomenon is puzzling, in part because the presence of ambiguous security strategies like hedging highlights the limitations of employing parsimonious theories like neorealism. This paper will attempt to shed light on the importance of cognitive factors through the conceptualising of ‘equidistant diplomacy’. To this end, this article aims to contribute academically to the conceptualisation by addressing questions revolving about the meaning and expected behaviour of states engaging in ‘equidistant diplomacy’. The example of Singapore foreign policy vis-à-vis China and the United States will be used for empirical testing.