Dialogue with SM Teo Chee Hean on Geopolitical Uncertainty 2023

In 2023, I attended a dialogue titled 'Geopolitical Uncertainty: Singapore's Place in the World' with Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Teo Chee Hean, at the SMU Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium. The main session was a moderated Q&A, with participants addressing questions directly to the Minister.

What struck me was not just what was being discussed, but the format itself. A room of young people engaging a Senior Minister on geopolitics and national security is not something that happens often. What stayed with me was not SM Teo's answers, measured and deliberate as they were, but the chance to hear a senior policymaker think through these questions out loud rather than reading about them second-hand.

Sitting in that room, I kept thinking about what it actually takes to use that kind of access well. The harder part is not getting into the room. It is knowing what to do once you are there.