'Willy-Nilly'—Singapore Defense Minister Says The US Is No Longer A Stabilizing Force, But A 'Landlord Seeking Rent'

Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen, was direct when speaking at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt Annual Leaders Roundtable last week. In a speech addressing the shifting global landscape, he said the world is witnessing a fundamental change in the assumptions that have shaped international relations for the past 80 years.

The U.S. has “willy-nilly” shifted its image from a liberator to a great disruptor and now to a landlord demanding rent, Ng said, pointing to a stark departure from the post-World War II global order where the US was seen as a stabilizing force.

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A Shift in US Priorities

Ng suggested that while American primacy has always been a key element of its foreign policy, it has now become the overriding concern, sometimes at the expense of traditional alliances. "America's primacy has become the overriding consideration," he said, adding that this shift is disrupting global stability and trade.

The U.S.-China rivalry remains the most significant geopolitical factor moving forward. With new trade restrictions and fresh tariffs, Ng noted that the world should brace for continued economic disruptions. Citing the previous trade war between 2018 and 2019, he pointed out that bilateral trade between the two economic giants dropped by 10%. Europe, too, imposed tariffs to counter its trade imbalance with China, but the result was a slowdown in economic growth, from 3.5% to just 0.4% in 2023.

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US Antagonism Pushing Allies Toward China

Donald Trump's administration has imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico while pressuring Colombia and Panama over trade and migration. He has also repeatedly said Canada “should become the 51st state." Colombia, a longtime U.S. partner, initially resisted his demand to accept deported migrants on military flights but ultimately complied, which critics dismissed as political theater. Meanwhile, as Trump's hardline approach strains relations, China has been actively courting these and other U.S. allies with economic incentives and diplomatic overtures.  

A World Without a Stabilizing Leader

Ng warned that the absence of a stabilizing global leader could have serious consequences. "In the absence of a leader to protect our global commons, I think we must all expect that the progress and well-being of the global commons will suffer," he stated. 

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“On the other hand, if you look at China, it is 80% of the world's solar manufacturing capacity, and more than half of EVs produced worldwide are Chinese-made,” Ng pointed out. As the U.S. takes a more isolationist stance, China is seizing opportunities to strengthen its economic and political ties with countries that feel alienated by Washington's hardball tactics.

Who Will Step Up?

Ng left his audience with an open question: If the U.S. no longer plays the role of global stabilizer, who will? "Who, if anyone, any one country or region or bloc, can step in if the U.S. declines to protect the global commons, and how effective, and against what resistance?"

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