Kevin Bozeat

Singapore is often regarded as an authoritarian state by outsiders, but the nation’s history tells a much deeper story. In the years preceding and immediately following the Second World War, Singapore was a cosmopolitan society based on social activism and participatory democracy. However, the tumultuous years surrounding the Malayan Emergency and the nation’s merger and separation from Malaysia gave rise to the rule of the People’s Action Party, whose actions proceeded to dismantle Singapore’s civil society. These actions were not a simple power grab, but were seen as necessary for the nation’s survival within the Confucianist mindset of the PAP and their leader, Lee Kuan Yew. But in the 21st century, Singapore’s forgotten past of public activism and civil engagement is beginning to show signs of reawakening.

Iceland is the nation that Europe forgot. A small sub-arctic volcanic island in the North Atlantic, it has remained almost completely isolated from the wars that have dominated the European continent for the past 1000 years. Yet at the height of the cold war, another war was taking place in the North Atlantic, over fish. What was originally a dispute between fishermen eventually spiraled into a quasi-war between the United Kingdom and Iceland that would be come to be known as the Cod Wars, one which resulted in a David vs Goliath triumph for Iceland. While a minor part of Europe's history during the greater Cold War, the Cod Wars teach us important lessons about modern diplomacy national priorities.