Duterte has picked fights with Obama and with the EU. His behaviour is shaking the US-Philippine alliance and stability in Southeast Asia.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a news conference in Davao after Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed from the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group in Jolo, Sulu in southern Philippines September 18, 2016. Credit: Lean Daval Jr/Reuters
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a news conference in Davao after Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkingstad was freed from the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group in Jolo, Sulu in southern Philippines September 18, 2016. Credit: Lean Daval Jr/Reuters
US efforts to promote peace and stability in the South China Sea are facing a new challenge. This time, the difficulty comes not from China but from the leader of a US treaty ally – President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines.
In recent weeks, the US-Philippine alliance has come under strain as Duterte has rebuked the US and threatened drastic changes in Philippine foreign policy. His volatile behaviour threatens the alliance, President Obama’s strategy for “rebalancing” to Asia and the stability of the Southeast Asian strategic landscape.
How is incendiary rhetoric like Duterte’s likely to affect a strong defence partnership and regional security more broadly? This is the kind of question my research on the international relations of the Asia-Pacific addresses.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gives the EU the finger on Sept. 20, 2016. Credit: Reuters/ Lean Daval Jr.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gives the EU the finger on September 20, 2016. Credit: Reuters/ Lean Daval Jr.
Duterte’s outbursts
Since taking office in late June, Duterte has launched a ruthless domestic war on drugs and declared that he doesn’t “care about human rights.” Those critical of his policies have met with his sharp, uninhibited tongue. “F-ck you,” he most recently told his critics in the EU.
Senior officials from the US, a treaty ally since 1951, have not been spared. Even mild US criticism has irritated Duterte’s thin skin, prompting him to describe US Secretary of State John Kerry as “crazy” and call President Barack Obama a “son of a whore.” He has chided the US as a former colonial power, announced plans to expel US special forces engaged in counter terrorism training, halted joint patrols in the South China Sea and said he would consider buying arms from China and Russia.
The line between Duterte’s bombast and real policy views is unclear. He has already backtracked from his pledge to expel US special forces and said the Philippines needs the US in the South China Sea. Still, his volatility threatens the US-Philippine alliance, the strongest check against unilateral Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.
http://thewire.in/68214/duterte-southeast-asia/