Tag: Louis Teo
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Functions of Arms and Interstate Violence: An Expanded Framework

This piece shall strive to act as a reminder and interpretation of as well as an update to Schelling’s classic work of strategic studies. Assisted by original diagrams that map out Schelling’s strategic theory, the first half shall seek to adapt Schelling’s Cold War US-centric theory for a more general model of conflict that broadly…
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Castles of Scar Tissue: Trauma Praetorianism in Interwar Poland and Contemporary Burma

Interwar Poland and present-day Burma share many similarities, particularly in their regime-type governance, which is categorized by the hegemonic if not total domination by an almost aristocratic military caste-institution, similar to the Praetorian Guard of the old Roman Empire. Through examining the similarities and differences between these two case studies, this essay will identify “Trauma…
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Reactionary Internationale: What a globally-networked, export-friendly Far-Right is and means for the world

In February 2021, a 16-year old Christian Indian student in Singapore was arrested for plotting terrorist attacks on two mosques after being radicalized online. Such a plot was the first of its ideological kind in Singaporean history, marking a new chapter in Singapore’s fight against terrorism, which before had mainly dealt with Salafi-jihadism and revolutionary…
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Sowing Addiction, Reaping Reliance: The Imperial Hard-Power Logic of Foreign Aid

To people who are fundamentally distrustful of the loyalty of friends and partners in International Relations, foreign aid can seem like a frivolous expenditure of critical state resources. This piece will seek to prove that with some strategic imagination and material re-prioritization, foreign aid can still be used as an excellent method of intense, even…
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Inoculating the Republic: Securing Singapore from Superpower Subversion through Open, Mass Political Policing

This piece shall dive deeper into threat analysis on subversion threats facing Singapore and based on that threat analysis, explain why an empowered political policing process that goes beyond hunting extremists is a necessary step in safeguarding the integrity of Singapore’s political process and social cohesion.
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We’re gonna need a bigger boat: Singapore and the Aircraft Carrier

Would an aircraft carrier make sense in the Singapore navy? Through answering this question, this essay hopes to also shed some light on Singapore’s maritime needs and the role of aircraft carriers and the thought process involved in defence acquisitions and strategy. What unique purposes do aircraft carriers serve? In essence, aircraft carriers serve the…




