Punching above one's weight (Part 1).

"To punch above one's weight", originally a boxing term, is now often used to describe a country that has come to be accepted -- or is potentially capable of being accepted -- as a serious player in an arena outside its usual class.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/290900.html

This superb commentary article below, in today's ST (May 13), assesses the potential of Indonesia under President Jokowi to become a player that can punch above its weight in the international system:

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/opinion/invitation/story/indonesia-punching-above-its-weight-20150513

ST, May 13

Singapore too is often described as a country that punches above its weight in key areas:

The Pragmatic ‘Little Red Dot’: Singapore’s US Hedge Against China

http://www.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/pdf/SR015/SR015-SEAsia-Vidra-.pdf

Singapore's armed forces are certainly often recognised to be highly potent despite the country's small size. Its air force, for instance, keeps its edge with a sustained modernisation programme a key factor: