.

His father, P. S. Raman, an Indian immigrant shaped by the upheaval of Partition, instilled in him the resilience and strategic acumen needed to navigate a rapidly changing world.

Kausikan apologized for the error, correcting that the property was transferred at market price per then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 2017 declaration, amid broader family disputes over the site's fate.^[56]Singapore's opposition has debated Kausikan's assertions on their foreign policy acumen, particularly after his 2016 lecture critiquing figures like Workers' Party leader Pritam Singh for parliamentary questions betraying insufficient grasp of geopolitical complexities.

Bilahari Kausikan, with his sharp mind and unyielding demeanor, was the perfect instrument for this mission.

During his term as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1995–1998), Kausikan embodied Singapore’s “no fear, no favor” stance. Singh responded with a detailed rebuttal, arguing that opposition scrutiny enhances accountability without undermining diplomacy, and that Kausikan's pessimism undervalues domestic debate's role in resilient policymaking.

This realist approach, informed by Cold War precedents, positions Southeast Asia not as a passive arena but as requiring proactive agency to avoid dominance by any single power.^[39][36][39]Regarding multilateralism, Kausikan supports ASEAN-led mechanisms to moderate competition but stresses their limitations under consensus rules, urging bolder, interest-driven action to prevent irrelevance in a multipolar order marked by economic interdependence rather than Cold War-style decoupling.

Opponents cited International Court of Justice provisional measures and International Criminal Court investigations as evidence of potential genocidal intent, contrasting his emotional dismissal of the debate with humanitarian imperatives.^[55]Domestically, Kausikan faced pushback in 2020 from Lee Wei Ling, daughter of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, after he inaccurately stated that her brother, Lee Hsien Yang, had purchased the family home at 38 Oxley Road for S$1 and expressed anger over unmonetized preservation.

Bilahari is currently Chairman of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.

Bilahari Kausikan joined the civil service in 1981. It was as if, from birth, Kausikan embodied the idea that complexity need not be conflict—it could be power.

The Intellectual Forge: Academia and Awakening

From the bustling corridors of the University of Singapore to the ivy-draped halls of Columbia University, Kausikan’s mind sharpened into a formidable instrument.

Bilahari was appointed Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001, and promoted to Permanent Secretary in 2010.

After a 37-year career in Singapore’s foreign relations, Bilahari is known to speak his mind about the issues confronting the country and the wider region. Furthermore, he warns of the danger of passivity in relation to the current US-China split, saying there is no ‘sweet spot’ to keep both the Chinese and Americans ‘happy’.

Bilahari studied political science at the University of Singapore before receiving a scholarship to embark on a PhD in international relations at Columbia University.

In a world dominated by superpowers and shifting alliances, a tiny city-state had to punch far above its weight. He views ASEAN, founded in 1967 amid threats of communist insurgencies, primarily as a mechanism to ensure "a modicum of cohesion, order and civility" among diverse states, crediting it with maintaining relative peace in Southeast Asia despite internal imperfections.

At the IPS-Nathan Lecture on May 3, 2016, titled "The Geopolitics of Human Rights," he contended that Western promotion of human rights often serves geopolitical ends rather than universal principles, urging Asian states to resist imposition without domestic adaptation.^[44] On March 26, 2018, at the Singapore Platform for East-West Dialogue, he argued that small countries like Singapore should eschew victimhood narratives and actively shape their environment through bold diplomacy.^[30] His August 16, 2019, 20th ASEAN Lecture, "How to Think About the Indo-Pacific," dissected the strategic ambiguities in the Indo-Pacific concept, warning against its potential dilution into vague economic forums disconnected from security realities.^[43]More recent addresses include the third Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture on January 23, 2023, where he discussed India's rising role and the imperatives for Southeast Asian states to hedge amid U.S.-China rivalry without alienating either.^[32] At the RSIS Distinguished Book Launch on July 20, 2023, he elaborated on maintaining Singaporean resilience amid global flux, stressing psychological preparedness over institutional fixes.^[47] In 2024 and 2025, Kausikan addressed U.S.

retrenchment in a June 25, 2025, National Press Club event, asserting a "fundamental redefinition" of America's world role; the Borton-Mosely Distinguished Lecture at Columbia University in 2025 on Russia-China ties and Cold War analogies; and an October 30, 2024, talk on Southeast Asia's place in the global order, highlighting the erosion of U.S.

credibility and the need for regional self-reliance.^[48][49][50] These interventions, often unscripted and direct, underscore his reputation for "no-holds-barred" analysis, as noted by observers.^[48]

Honours and Recognition

Awards and Titles Conferred

Kausikan was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2001 by the Government of Singapore for his contributions as an Administrative Officer (Grade 6) and Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[51] In 2012, he received the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal) for his leadership and outstanding service to Singapore's Foreign Service.^[2]Among foreign honours, Kausikan was conferred the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins (Gran Cruz) in December 2002 by Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, recognizing his diplomatic efforts.^[19] In February 2013, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman awarded him the Oman Civil Merit Order (Second Class) for contributions to bilateral relations.^[1]In 2024, the National University of Singapore presented Kausikan with the Outstanding Service Award for his leadership of the Middle East Institute and commitment to academic and institutional excellence.^[52]

Reception and Influence

Achievements in Diplomacy

Bilahari Kausikan's diplomatic career spanned 37 years in Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1976 to his retirement in 2013, during which he held progressively senior roles that enabled him to safeguard and advance the city-state's interests amid regional and global complexities.^[12] Early in his tenure, he served as Director for Southeast Asia, focusing on regional dynamics critical to Singapore's security and economic stability.^[15] His appointment as Ambassador to the Russian Federation from 1993 to 1995 marked a pivotal achievement, establishing and strengthening bilateral ties during the post-Soviet transition, when Singapore sought diversified partnerships beyond traditional Western allies.^[12][3]From 1995 to 1998, Kausikan excelled as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, concurrently accredited as High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico, effectively amplifying Singapore's voice in multilateral institutions despite its small size.^[12][2] In this capacity, he navigated key UN debates on global governance and security, contributing to Singapore's reputation for pragmatic, rules-based diplomacy that prioritized national sovereignty and non-interference.^[3] Returning to headquarters in 1998 as Deputy Secretary (Foreign Affairs), he ascended to Second Permanent Secretary in 2001, influencing policy formulation on Southeast Asian affairs and great-power relations.^[12] By 2010, as Permanent Secretary, Kausikan led the ministry through a period of intensifying U.S.-China competition, overseeing strategic adaptations that maintained Singapore's strategic autonomy and economic openness.^[2][53]Kausikan's overarching achievement lay in his instrumental role in formulating and executing Singapore's foreign policy, emphasizing realist principles suited to a vulnerable small state—such as hedging against major powers while fostering ASEAN centrality.^[53] His mentorship of younger diplomats further amplified his impact, institutionalizing a cadre adept at balancing idealism with hard-nosed pragmatism in international negotiations.^[12] These efforts underpinned Singapore's diplomatic successes, including sustained high-level engagements and resilience in crises like the 1997 Asian financial meltdown, where his regional expertise helped coordinate responses.^[15]

Criticisms and Debates

Kausikan's realist approach to ASEAN has drawn criticism for overly emphasizing internal disunity as a product of the organization's 1990s enlargement to include Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, which he argues insufficiently socialized new members into core norms, leading to bloc paralysis on issues like the South China Sea.

Critics contend this view overlooks alternative reforms, such as strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat or pursuing a regional parliament, and ignores cases like the unanimous but ineffective Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar in 2021, where consensus failed to yield action. Ultimately, multilateral engagement succeeds only when grounded in realism, prioritizing strategic utility over procedural pieties.^[40][37][36]

Post-Retirement Activities

Academic and Institutional Leadership

Following his retirement from the Singapore public service as Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs on 1 June 2013, Kausikan transitioned to leadership positions in academic institutions affiliated with the National University of Singapore (NUS).^[2]In 2017, he was appointed Chairman of the Middle East Institute (MEI), an autonomous NUS institute established to analyze Middle Eastern political, economic, and security developments and their implications for Singapore and Southeast Asia.^[4] Under his chairmanship, MEI hosted annual conferences, workshops, and dialogues featuring international experts, including sessions on US-China competition in the Middle East and regional stability post-Abraham Accords, fostering policy-oriented research and public discourse.^[12] Kausikan retired from this role in 2024 after contributing to the institute's expansion of programs on multipolar dynamics and energy security.^[12][41]Kausikan also held the position of second S.

R. Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), a think tank under the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, where he advanced research on Singapore's strategic positioning amid global shifts.^[19] In this capacity, he delivered the IPS-Nathan Lectures in 2016, examining ASEAN's role in US-China competition, drawing on his diplomatic experience to emphasize pragmatic multilateralism over ideological alignments.^[42]

Public Commentary, Speeches, and Publications

Following his retirement from the Singapore Foreign Service in 2013, Kausikan has remained active in public discourse through speeches, lectures, and writings that often emphasize pragmatic realism in foreign policy, particularly for small states navigating great-power competition.

Such interventions underscore debates over the propriety of retired diplomats publicly critiquing regional domestic politics, with defenders viewing them as candid realism and detractors as undiplomatic overreach.^[58]