The Philippines Muddies The Waters Of East Asia’s Geopolitics

Rodrigo Duterte, who famously told President Obama to go to hell, is bringing Russian trucks and guns to his country.  But the Americans aren't worried.  According to Reuters: U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim played down any U.S. concerns about Duterte’s outreach to China and Russia and noted that the United States, a former colonial power, was …

Duterte’s Play For A Dictatorship

When you yearn for a Caesar, you more often than not get it.  Such now is the price being paid by the people of the Philippines, who swept to power a man who's harsh authoritarianism was clear as day.  As the southern island of Mindanao slips into chaos, Rodrigo Duterte's not-so-subtle desire for absolute power …

Duterte Wants To Ditch America For China and Russia, But Can They Bite?

(This article has been edited to reflect that the Philippines has a single term presidency under its current constitution, meaning Duterte cannot serve, right now, beyond his elected six years). Betteridge's law of headlines states that any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered no.  And so it is with this one, …