Join Bilahari Kausikan, Chairman of the Middle East Institute, NUS and one of Asia's most respected diplomats for an engaging session.

Diplomacy in a World in Flux

Date: Thursday Dec 4, 2025

Time: 3.15pm-4.30pm

Location: Tanglin Trust School, The Centenary Building Level 11, The Institute, 95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299

This event is open to all students, parents and the wider Tanglin community.

About the talk

In an era of great power rivalry, regional tensions, and shifting global norms, how do small states protect their interests?

Join one of Asia’s most esteemed diplomats as he shares his perspective on navigating the complexities of foreign policy and realpolitik, preparing future generations for global leadership, and what today’s students should know about diplomacy, international relations, and the road ahead. With a distinguished career that includes serving as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, and Chairman of the Middle East Institute at NUS, Mr. Kausikan will also offer reflections insights from his experience.

This is a must-attend event for anyone interested in international relations, global politics, diplomacy and current affairs.

About the speaker

Bilahari Kausikan spent his entire career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore (MFA). Over 37 years in MFA, he served in a variety of appointments at home and abroad. These included Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Deputy Secretary for South-east Asia, Second Permanent Secretary, and subsequently Permanent Secretary. Upon retiring in 2013, he was appointed Ambassador-at-Large, a position he held until 2018.

Mr Kausikan became Chairman of the Middle East Institute, an autonomous institute of the National University of Singapore, in 2017, and retired in 2024, but remains associated with the institute as Distinguished Fellow.

Mr Kausikan has published four books -- “Dealing with an Ambiguous World” (2016), “Singapore Is Not An Island” (2017), “Singapore Is Still Not An Island” (2023), and The Myth of the Asian Century (2025) -- along with many articles in local and international journals. He continues to lecture on global geopolitics, and developments in North-east Asia, the Middle East, and South-east Asia, to universities and other educational institutions in Singapore and abroad, as well as corporations and financial institutions.

Raffles Institution, the University of Singapore and Columbia University all attempted to educate him but should not be held responsible for the consequences.