All of a sudden it’s Duterte news, and it’s not particularly good, but not surprising – nasty little bullies tend to gravitate towards big power centers as a natural part of life. With this in mind, Lawfare has this report:
For at least the past month, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sharply critiqued United States military policy and suggested a cooler relationship with Washington, pivoting away from his predecessor’s closer relationship with the United States. At the same time, however, President Duterte has been ambiguous about to the extent to which he believes bilateral relations should change. A series of statements from the past week add to this uncertainty.
On Monday President Duterte said that he would “open alliance with China and . . . Medvedev,” though he recognized that it was not time to “really break ties” with the United States. He also claims to have told Prime Minister Medvedev that “I’m about to cross the Rubicon between me and the United States, at least for the 6 years” and that “I will need your help in everything – trade, commerce – and I will open up.” Asked to clarify these statements, Duterte expressed concern that the United States would not aid the Philippines if attacked. The President also explained that he intended to open economic, not military, alliances with China and Russia.
Given Duterte’s recent election, one must assume that a substantial portion of the Filipino electorate supports his distaste for the United States – which is unfortunate. A nation of 100 million is nothing to sneeze at.
