Diplomacy vs Deterrence

Diplomacy: Diplomacy is an important factor in maintaining peace and security.

Through diplomacy, countries provided opportunities to pursue mutual interests
while promoting political, economic and cultural ties among the countries. For
example, Singapore is involved in bilateral ties with countries like Japan and
Germany, both of which have been very useful to Singapore. Also, Singapore is
involved in sending aid in the form of humanitarian aid to Aceh as well as
participation in UN peacekeeping missions. This fosters good relations between
Singapore and these other countries, maintaining peace through the fostering
of good will. Thus, diplomacy is an important factor in maintaining peace and
security.
Deterrence: Deterrence is an important factor in maintaining peace and
security. Deterrence is an important measure taken by Singapore to prevent
and protect itself from threats. Singapores main way of doing this is through
total defense. With everyone involved in defending the country, Singapores
security is that much more effective and factors such as joint military exercises
and innovations in technology augment Singapores ability to defend itself. Thus,
deterrence is an important factor in maintaining peace and security.
Diplomacy>Deterrence: Diplomacy is more important than deterrence as overly
flaunting your military strength can cause a country to be perceived as a threat.
This is obviously not desirable for a country as others might band together to
bring it down. Also, over-reliance on deterrence can spark off an arms race,
leading to heightened tensions and suspicion. This can cause a region to
become even more unstable and increases the chances of being attacked.
Thus, diplomacy is more important than deterrence