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Foreign and Law Minister K.迷你倉尖沙咀 Shanmugam engaged with an audience of more than 400 business leaders, academics and government officials in a 90-minute dialogue at The Straits Times Global Outlook Forum on Friday. Here are his thoughts on Asean's response to Typhoon Haiyan, why it's hard to define India, the Iranian nuclear threat and just why the United States is looked after by a "strange providence".On never writing off the US"I am personally a strong believer in the United States. Not in terms of believing its governance model is the best, but certainly in terms of the freedom of economic enterprise, the ability of people to make their lives better, the ability of the economy to constantly reinvent itself and, chief of all, the ability to attract the best talent from all over the world, which then contributes to the American economy. I think one can be bullish about the American economy.You know, now they've found shale gas in huge quantities, they're going to become net exporters and the cost for them of energy (per million British thermal units) is $3 to $4, compared to $18 for us and many others in Asia.So each time you think that the US is down, something happens and they're back up. So never write them off. There is a saying, attributed to Bismarck, that 'there is a strange providence that looks after drunkards, orphans and the United States of America'."On criticism that Asean has been ineffective in resolving regional issues like the haze, and that its response to Typhoon Haiyan that wreaked havoc in member state Philippines was weak"Never say never, but I don't think the Asean Economic Community of 2015 envisions the kind of integration that exists in Europe now.Europe took a very long time and before that, three or four centuries of wars and living together (after the concept of nationhood arose more clearly) before it could reach this stage. We haven't had anything like the same experience.So the next (question) is, is Asean in a position - with the kind of military assets, the kind of coordination, the kind of financial assets - to be able to deal with the typhoon of the magnitude that hit the Philippines in the way that the US was able to?Obviously not. We don't have those kinds of resources. We can't come together and put together an aircraft carrier to go and help. How many countries in Asean can put together a disaster relief team that can actually go and do good work in an area where assistance is needed?I say that seriously, because you need the ability to go and fly out there and the right equipment. You don't want to become a burden to your host because they are already struggling. Not every country in Asean has that. So how do you talk about an Asean response that is on a scale of the European Union's, or the US' or China's or Japan's?But we do what we can. And I know the Brunei chair of Asean has written to all of Asean to ask what else we can do. So as our capabilities increase, I think our responses would be qualitatively different as well."On whether India has been forgotten in the region's narrative"I think the mistake that many people make is to talk about India as one entity. Almost anything you can say about India would be true. Some of the smartest people on earth? Yes. Some of the poorest people on earth? Yes. Some of the fastest-growing regions in the world? Yes. Some of the best and the best-run companies with best management talent? Yes. Some of the most imperfect economic models? Yes. So what do you want me to say about India?The fact is you have a hugely talented people (but) the system of governance hasn't been delivering the kind of growth and advancement in people's lives that I think India deserves, (considering) its resources, arable land, and bright and hard-working mini storageeople.India should be doing as a complete unit far better than it is doing. But you get huge pockets which are not doing well. And really, whether India as a unit progresses much further depends on competition between the states. Because, given India's electoral system now, I think it's going to be difficult to find any central government that has a significant majority on its own without forming alliances with a series of parties which may or may not share a similar economic outlook.I think there are good reasons to be optimistic about India. Economically, I think India is progressing and the headline growth is 4 per cent. But there are states that are growing 8 to 10 per cent.Singapore companies are invested there and more significantly, Indian companies - 6,000 of them - are here looking at Singapore as a base for the entire region.And India is also looking at the entire region and is negotiating a free trade agreement with the region as a whole."On Singapore's ability to stay relevant in the world"The only reason why people talk to us in the world is because we are relevant and successful. Why does (Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong), when he goes to Beijing, get to see all the top leaders? Don't forget we are a small city-state. Why do I, when I go to the United Nations, get to see about 40 foreign ministers from all over the world? Many ask to see me, some I ask to see them.I went to Bahrain. The constant theme from my host was that whenever he goes to his meetings with the Gulf countries, the smaller countries all talk about the Singapore model and how they want to be like Singapore.So our soft power, our value, our brand recognition, is huge. And that's due to the good work of our predecessors. It's being achieved within a framework of rationality, of doing the right thing, of hard work, and recognising that the world does not owe us a living.It's about recognising that we are like a spinning top that has a very narrow base. You got to constantly spin. If you stop spinning, you fall. And in international relations, people take you seriously if you have a big army, a big economy, a big land mass, or a big population. We have none of that. But we are taken seriously.So if you're small, you need to learn how to run faster, be smarter, do things sensibly, to survive. And if you want to prosper, you've got to do a bit more. Will we manage our politics in such a way that we will continue to be successful? That's really for Singaporeans to answer."On the possibility of a nuclear deal with Iran and it being ready to rejoin the international community"I think the conditions today are right and ripe for a deal (with Iran to halt its nuclear testing). Why do I say it? I think, to be very frank, Iran is at a stage where it feels that it can do such a deal. Many people believe that Iran is ultimately not interested in the nuclear weapons themselves. What Iran is interested in is to be accepted as a significant power in the region.What knowledge, technology and capability that you have all goes towards showing whether you are a power and how seriously you are taken by the US and other countries.I think the years of enriching, the years of dealing with nuclear reactors and so on have given the Iranians a degree of knowledge and comfort with what they can do and cannot do. Having reached that stage, maybe now I think they have to look at the economy and they have to also look at their people. And the sanctions appear to be having a significant impact. The Iranians are pretty bright. And some of them do very well in major American universities.Probably, Iran has calculated that at this stage, it doesn't need to go further and it can do a deal and move on, and come back into the mainstream of the international community."迷你倉