solarz
Brigadier
Duterte's announcement did not come out of nowhere. In fact, he campaigned on this and won in a landslide. So I would imagine a lot of Filipino people support this policy.
South China Sea Strategies for other nations (Not China)
- Thread starter PanAsian
- Start date
Duterte's announcement did not come out of nowhere. In fact, he campaigned on this and won in a landslide. So I would imagine a lot of Filipino people support this policy.
I thought his big push was to seriously and harshly go after the duggies.
I had not heard about this anti-American streak until very recently...and believe it is taking most by surprise.
But the anti-drug campaign was clear. My understanding was that he is lashing out against the UN and the US for criticizing some of the methods for taking down the cartels in the Philippines.
Do not get me wrong...I think in places like the Philippines and Mexico that you have to wage an almost all out war, targeting the drug cartels whole support structure...or you may lose your country. We see that happening in Mexico.
Anyhow...the next election will tell us one way or the other. about alienating and pushing the US away.
Jura The idiot
General
There is starting to be a pattern of divergence between Duterte's comments on the SCS, US, and China and comments by the Philippines military, at least as reported in English language media. Hard to tell for now whether it's just a politician's words not matching his actions, or if there is a split within the Philippines government, or between the civilian government vs the military as to their actual policies going forward.
Zool
Junior Member
There may need to be an adjustment in media narrative if protecting PH from an unreasonable China is no longer a valid reason for increased US deployments into the SCS.
Earlier in the week Reuters reports highlighted the disconnect between Duterte and senior PH officials, but public statements over the last 48hrs show the administration rallying behind the President. Public polling this week also shows strong support for Duterte policies.
Earlier in the week Reuters reports highlighted the disconnect between Duterte and senior PH officials, but public statements over the last 48hrs show the administration rallying behind the President. Public polling this week also shows strong support for Duterte policies.
Lethe
Captain
Interesting to see such sentiments coming from someone other than Duterte personally. Still, it's a difficult thing to realign a nation's foreign policy: it involves going up entrenched interest groups within society, including the military. Getting foreign militaries on-side is one of the major reasons the US is so deeply involved with so many foreign militaries (including my own) in the first place. It's a kind of Borg-like assimilation process.
In Australia, in the wake of Vietnam we had a Prime Minister who went to some effort to roll back our alliance with the United States. He was removed from office under very unusual and controversial circumstances. You can read as much or as little into that as you want. His successor, Malcolm Fraser, kept an altogether lower profile, though he did publish a warning of the dangers of our relationship with the US shortly before his death.
Duterte is hardly my kind of guy, yet I can't help but admire his willingness to stand up for (what he perceives to be) the national interest, regardless of whom it discomfits. His willingness to break from the status quo, his intolerance of quasi-colonial paternalism, etc. But yeah, tread carefully guy.
That's easy. Worst-case scenario it becomes defending the Asia-Pacific from the Sino-Filipino Axis of Evil.
In Australia, in the wake of Vietnam we had a Prime Minister who went to some effort to roll back our alliance with the United States. He was removed from office under very unusual and controversial circumstances. You can read as much or as little into that as you want. His successor, Malcolm Fraser, kept an altogether lower profile, though he did publish a warning of the dangers of our relationship with the US shortly before his death.
Duterte is hardly my kind of guy, yet I can't help but admire his willingness to stand up for (what he perceives to be) the national interest, regardless of whom it discomfits. His willingness to break from the status quo, his intolerance of quasi-colonial paternalism, etc. But yeah, tread carefully guy.
That's easy. Worst-case scenario it becomes defending the Asia-Pacific from the Sino-Filipino Axis of Evil.