US Opinion and Commentary

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Is the Philippines Triggering a ‘Duterte Effect’ in ASEAN?

Posted November 3rd, 2016 at 11:13 am (UTC-5)
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[S]uggesting that Duterte’s embrace of China and snubbing of the United States might trigger some sort of domino effect in the region not only fundamentally misunderstands what drives alignments in Southeast Asia, but grossly exaggerates the Philippines’ status within the region and overestimates Duterte’s foreign policy.

Obama, Speak Out on Philippine Killings

Posted September 7th, 2016 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
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Obama needs to make clear to Duterte that he will pay an international price for trashing the rule of law and that his unlawful “crime control” campaign puts at risk the $50 million in military aid currently allocated to the Philippines for 2017.

Finally, the Asian Pivot?

Posted September 6th, 2016 at 6:11 pm (UTC-5)
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Barack Obama’s tenth and final trip to Asia was billed as an opportunity to demonstrate the how the “centerpiece” of U.S. foreign policy is the “rebalance” to the Asia-Pacific region.
Obama has been trying to pivot to Asia for much of his time in the White House, but events in the Middle East and Europe have drawn an extraordinary amount of attention.
Trade, climate change and the situation in the South China Sea sat atop his agenda. But attention has again been diverted by a perceived slight by China, a slur by the Philippines president and doubts that Obama can get the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal passed by Congress.
For all the time and effort Obama has put into pivoting to Asia, how much will have to be left for the next president?

How to Get Tough with China

Posted April 27th, 2016 at 1:43 pm (UTC-5)
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Public anger over corruption is probably what scares the Communist Party of China’s leadership the most….Expose ruling-class corruption—perhaps starting with the top fifty CPC leaders and their families—and trumpet it repeatedly and widely. The United States is aware of part of the problem, but it can uncover much more with proper effort.