“Realpolitik” of Singapore-United States of America in the Context of Land Reclamation in Singapore

Land reclamation is a technique that refers to sand dredging in a given location. The sand is then placed at another location by the shore to elevate the seabed surface level until it transforms into a new landscape. Among the countries that actively embark on land reclamation activities in the South East Asian region is Singapore. This is because Singapore is one of the countries which is deprived of land, has a limited coastline and a rising population. The objectives of this study are to analyze the bilateral relationship between Singapore and the United States of America (US), and to identify military cooperation in relation to Singapore’s land reclamation activities. The collection of primary data was done through direct site observation, and the conduct of several interviews. The collection of secondary data was obtained from various sources such as articles from respected journals, newspapers, trusted internet sites and government reports. This study has found that, the steps taken by Singapore to reclaim land are not only because of an increase in population alone. While the US is aggressively establishing the pivot to Asia Pacific strategy, Singapore welcomes the presence of US military power in the region. Therefore, this article concludes that the Singapore-US military partnership is significant in Singapore’s land reclamation activities which serve the US’s realpolitik intentions in the region.