The South China Sea: The Limits of Quiet Diplomacy

The Philippines’ experience provides an alarming reality check

By: Dennis Ignatius

Kishore Mahbubani, Singapore’s widely respected diplomat and scholar, recently lauded Malaysia’s quiet diplomacy in dealing with China’s maritime claims. “A big lesson I’ve learnt in diplomacy is that public diplomacy with a megaphone is unsuccessful. Private diplomacy, where you talk face-to-face privately and off the record, is very…