#397 From 'Poisonous Shrimp' To 'Porcupine': An Analysis Of Singapore's Defence Posture Chang In The Early 1980s (2005) By Pak Shun Ng
 
Working Paper No. 397
 
In the early 1980s, Singapore announced a crucial change in its defence policy, from a defensively deterrent strategy (known as the ‘poisonous shrimp’) to a more actively deterrent variant (known as the ‘porcupine’). This paper utilises Graham Allison’s three models of decision-making analysis to study why Singapore announced this policy change, even though no actual policy or strategic change could be observed to have taken place. By altering Allison’s models to make them more applicable to Singapore’s political and military contexts, this paper finds that the Rational Actor Model fails to fully explain why Singapore made the policy announcement. The paper argues that the Organisational Process Model and the Political Bargaining Model analyses contribute to the most plausible and convincing explanations for the announcement in the early 1980s by providing both the timing and the motive for the rhetorical change in Singapore’s defence posture.
 
Soft Cover
60 pages
In Good Condition