He warns against effect of nationalism and domestic politics on foreign policy
By Andrew Salmon, For The Straits Times, In Seoul, 4 Mar 2014
Mr Goh was delivering the lunchtime keynote speech at the 5th Asian Leadership Conference, attended by such notables as former United States president George W. Bush, former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard.
South Korean President Park Geun Hye also made a brief, unannounced visit to the conference.
Sponsored by the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's best-selling daily newspaper, the conference took place in the Samsung-run Shilla Hotel, set on a mountainside overlooking central Seoul.
After the conference, Mr Goh met South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong Won.
In his keynote, "Whither the Asian-Pacific Century", Singapore's former prime minister noted that the US National Intelligence Council anticipates Asia overtaking Europe and North America in terms of economic size, population and technological innovation by 2030. He then laid out the challenges that might prevent this potential being realized.
He said the presence of the US was critical for Asia's regional stability, but it needs to be "complemented by some broader architecture", probably to include the Asean Plus Three, the East Asia Summit, the Asean Regional Forum and Apec.
The most critical regional players - Washington and Beijing - need to find a "modus vivendi to accommodate each other's legitimate interests in the region", he added.
Moving on to Asia-Pacific's geostrategic challenges, he highlighted rising nationalism and territorial disputes, as well as the dangers posed by nuclear-armed North Korea - which had test-fired two short-range missiles earlier yesterday morning.
Mr Goh noted that "domestic politics and nationalism are increasingly impinging on the conduct of foreign policy," calling this situation a "complicated and volatile mix, accentuated by the forces of globalism and the power of social media".
He conceded that no government can "afford to appear weak or concede on sovereignty if it wishes to maintain the support of its people", but said that governments must find ways to lower tensions and ease risks. If not, "the region's future might be determined by an encounter at sea or in the air that may inadvertently lead to a broader conflict with dire consequences", he warned.
As a solution, he called for "wise leadership" by pragmatic leaders, able to rise above historical legacies and balance national with regional interests.
He cited the post-World War II leaders of France and Germany, who built amity and economic interdependence between the ancient rivals.
A second example, he suggested, was provided by South Africa's national reconciliation, enabled by then President Frederick De Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela.
Finally, Mr Goh warned that economic problems in the region and the world could still "derail the Asian Century". As one antidote, he called on all players to expedite regional free trade agreements.
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