Background
In 1965, Singapore became a sovereign nation. It is one of the smallest countries on earth, measuring fewer than 300 square miles. What it lacked in land and natural resources, it more than compensated by holding a very strategic location: it has a natural deep-water port, and it served as a gateway to prosperous trade. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first leader and by all accounts a brilliant statesman, recognized in order for Singapore to succeed, it had to leverage its strengths as a hub of nations and use it for future development.