Navigating Nationhood: Singapore's Founding and Diplomacy

William Choong, Fulcrum's Managing Editor and ISEAS Senior Fellow, discusses the second volume of S. Rajaratnam's authorised biography, the Lion's Roar, with author and ISEAS writer-in-residence Irene Ng.

2:20 – An introduction by the author and her inspiration for the biography

7:21 – The themes in the biography which resonated most with the author

13:40 – Some trials and triumphs in writing the biography

18:40 – Would S. Rajaratnam have persisted in pushing the “Malaysian Malaysia” concept if he had known that it would not have been successful?

24:00 – How did S. Rajaratnam, the foreign minister of a small country, succeed in working with ASEAN to get Vietnam to withdraw from Cambodia in the end?

30:20 – S. Rajaratnam’s astuteness in dealing with China and the United States

35:01 – Intriguing aspects of S. Rajaratnam the man, his interests and his “inner spirit”

40:25 – S. Rajaratnam’s quest to go beyond material things to higher ideals

46:16 – A key takeaway that young Singaporeans should draw from S. Rajaratnam’s life

Dialogues at Fulcrum is a ⁠podcast⁠ published by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.