#171 He Has Enough CPF for a BTO Flat.Why Could S$2,000 Still Cost His Family a Home? 一个家 • 2,000新元 • 四次求助
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#171 He Has Enough CPF for a BTO Flat.Why Could S$2,000 Still Cost His Family a Home? 一个家 • 2,000新元 • 四次求助

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中文版在下方 A reader’s journey through HDB, MND, e2i, SkillsFuture and Singapore’s public-private ecosystem asks a simple question: when help is advertised, can citizens see how decisions are made—and does anyone own the outcome? By Mar Vin Foo | 24 August 2026 The National Day Rally promised to help families thrive. The next morning, one family…

Are We Ready for a New World? | Reflections from the 7th Annual GEX Conference 2026 #167
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Are We Ready for a New World? | Reflections from the 7th Annual GEX Conference 2026 #167

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Are We Ready for a New World? | Reflections from the 7th Annual GEX Conference 2026 #167 It was a privilege to attend Dr Patrick Liew’s 7th Annual GEX Conference 2026, where diplomats, economists and business leaders shared their perspectives on navigating an increasingly uncertain world. A key takeaway was that today’s geopolitical landscape bears…

#144 Asia-Pacific Theatre of War III: Two Boys in The Temple of Heaven 《亚太战争剧场 III：天坛里的两个男孩》
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#144 Asia-Pacific Theatre of War III: Two Boys in The Temple of Heaven 《亚太战争剧场 III：天坛里的两个男孩》

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This is not a boy band fan article; neither is this new Indiana Jones movie. This is a geopolitical inflection during a time of turmoil where things either can go well or completely south. I. The Korean Peninsula — The Most Dangerous Trigger Point in Asia In my earlier article, “Asia Pacific Theatre of War…

#143 Smaller Nations, Superpower Pressure, and the Grey Zone of Survival 小国、生存压力，与大国夹缝中的灰色地带
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#143 Smaller Nations, Superpower Pressure, and the Grey Zone of Survival 小国、生存压力，与大国夹缝中的灰色地带

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One of the least discussed realities in geopolitics is that smaller nations rarely operate in a perfectly clean environment. Publicly, international relations are framed around diplomacy, trade agreements, defence partnerships, and mutual prosperity. But beneath official frameworks often exists another layer: Influence operations. Intelligence bargaining. Unofficial intermediaries. Economic pressure. Elite networks. Strategic kompromat. Underground financial…

#142 Comfort, Vice, and the Burden of Judgment: The Women We Failed to See (With Testimonies) 慰安妇、风月与偏见：我们未曾真正看见的女性（附幸存者证词）
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#142 Comfort, Vice, and the Burden of Judgment: The Women We Failed to See (With Testimonies) 慰安妇、风月与偏见：我们未曾真正看见的女性（附幸存者证词）

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In every society, there exists a quiet hypocrisy. We condemn the women. But we rarely interrogate the systems—and the men—that created their circumstances. The Historical Wound We Still Avoid The system of World War II comfort women system remains one of Asia’s deepest unresolved scars. Across Korea, China, and Southeast Asia: But statistics do not…

#139 Asia-Pacific Theatre of War (II): The Land Risk China Cannot Ignore 亚太战场（II）：中国不可忽视的陆地风险
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#139 Asia-Pacific Theatre of War (II): The Land Risk China Cannot Ignore 亚太战场（II）：中国不可忽视的陆地风险

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In the first installment, we examined how time, economic pressure, and maritime chokepoints are reshaping the global balance. But there is a second layer that remains under-discussed: China’s greatest strategic risk may not come from the sea. It may come from the land it believes is secure. The Illusion of Strategic Depth China is often…

#137 We Are Not Far From WW3: The Impending Arrival of the Asia-Pacific Theatre of War (I) 我们离第三次世界大战并不遥远：亚太战场的即将到来 （I）
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#137 We Are Not Far From WW3: The Impending Arrival of the Asia-Pacific Theatre of War (I) 我们离第三次世界大战并不遥远：亚太战场的即将到来 （I）

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For years, the world has been fixated on flashpoints in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. But the real question is no longer where conflict begins. It is where it ultimately converges. And increasingly, the answer points toward the Asia-Pacific. War Today Is Not About Speed. It Is About Time We are witnessing a shift…

#134 The International Order Didn’t Collapse Today — It Collapsed Quietly a Decade Ago 国际秩序不是今天才崩塌——它在十年前就已悄然瓦解
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#134 The International Order Didn’t Collapse Today — It Collapsed Quietly a Decade Ago 国际秩序不是今天才崩塌——它在十年前就已悄然瓦解

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When Xi Jinping speaks about the crumbling of the international order, many interpret it as a warning of what is to come. But the truth is more uncomfortable: The system did not just begin to crack. It has already been broken — for years. The Collapse Was Not Sudden — It Was Permitted The post–World…

#133 From Binary to Grey: Navigating a Multipolar World with Discipline and Clarity 从二元对立到灰度世界：在多极格局中，以纪律与清晰驾驭复杂性
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#133 From Binary to Grey: Navigating a Multipolar World with Discipline and Clarity 从二元对立到灰度世界：在多极格局中，以纪律与清晰驾驭复杂性

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What if the world isn’t becoming more divided — but simply revealing how simplistic our thinking has been? For decades, we were conditioned to see the world in binaries. Aligned or not aligned. Inside the system or outside of it. Black or white. And for a time, that made sense. Because the world itself was…

#132 China Is Not Just a Country — It Is a Civilization 中国不仅是一个国家——它是一种文明
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#132 China Is Not Just a Country — It Is a Civilization 中国不仅是一个国家——它是一种文明

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When Henry Kissinger once remarked that “China is not a nation-state in the traditional sense, but a civilization pretending to be one,” he was not being poetic—he was being precise. This distinction matters. A country is bounded by borders, constitutions, and political systems. A civilization, however, is something far deeper—it is memory, continuity, philosophy, and…