Henry Kissinger, the late US secretary of state, once reportedly remarked that “to be an enemy of America would be dangerous, to be a friend would be fatal”. That observation, while made in the context of America’s allies in the Vietnam War, has gained fresh resonance at the recently concluded Munich Security Conference, where current Secretary of State Marco Rubio artfully delivered a message that was, to all intents and purposes, an iron fist in a velvet glove.

As China solidifies its position as ASEAN’s largest trading partner, what does this mean for the future of regional power dynamics? With China’s regional influence expanding amid intensifying rivalry with the United States, the future of Southeast Asia’s regional order has become a focal point of debate. Researchers Dr Selina Ho from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Dr Terence Lee from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies examined how ASEAN elites perceive China’s role—uncovering critical insights into who shapes the rules, and who holds real authority in the region.

In the brutal world of geopolitics, great powers are like crocodiles and small states need to be very careful even when they appear to smile.

Decades of glorifying overwork are hard to undo. But as the nation turns 60, sustainable performance depends on leaders modelling balance, not burnout.