I saw a book, "Fifty Secrets of Singapore's Success" which is a collection of 50 essays by prominent Singaporeans (I guess), and edited by Tommy Koh.
The book was an idea by Tommy Koh. He was asked what was the secret of Singapore's success by some undergrads in the US and Mexico. And (not having an easy answer then) he said that there was not one single secret, but he will think about it (and ask other smarter people) and maybe write a book (or edit one).
A diplomat, tactful, and can think on his feet. I really admire Tommy Koh.
Then, recently, I saw this video: "15 Incredibly Smart Things Singapore Got Right":
