Kuala Lampur, Aug. 16 -- While Malaysia is approximately 450 times larger than Singapore - one of the widest landmass disparities between two immediate neighbours in Southeast Asia, even more pronounced than the Malaysia-Brunei ratio - it is often overlooked that the leadership of both nations have mastered the art of peaceful coexistence.

Whether Singapore is framed as a "city-state" or, as Professor Kent Calder famously termed it, a "state city," the reality is that neither Putrajaya nor Singapore has seriously contemplated war as a policy option.

This is not to suggest that relations have been free of friction. Historical disputes - over water pricing, airspace management, and territorial demarcations - have tested the diplomatic ing...