The torrent of praise and criticism directed at Lee Kuan Yew since his death the other week highlights a paradox: How could one man with a micro-state as his base leave such a decisive imprint on the whole of today’s Asia? This paradox is sharpened even further when one considers that Lee was deeply influenced by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s founding prime minister, who of course had a country of sub-continental proportions to work from. So why is Lee being celebrated as a founding father of modern Asia while Nehru’s memory continues to recede into the mists of history?