Trump’s North Korea dilemma
In the wake of the Tomahawk cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airbase and after dropping a 2,100-pound “Mother of all Bombs” – MOAB – in Afghanistan, North Korea had threatened to test another
Read More »Appeasing the Chinese Dragon
According to Chinese mythology, dragons are legendary creatures that symbolize power and strength. Today, the Chinese Dragon is China’s national symbol just like the eagle is to the U.S. and the bear to Russia.
Read More »Donald’s trump card
Upon his election to the U.S. presidency, one of the few world leaders that Donald J. Trump talked to was Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. At that time, their conversation was hailed as an improvement
Read More »Duterte’s first political prisoner
When then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ran for the Senate in 2016, little did she know that she was on a road taken by a growing number of politicians, one that leads to
Read More »Uncle Sam or Xi Dada: A question of trust
One of the most quoted maxims in politics is: “There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.” But regardless of whether you’re dealing with a friend or an enemy, the one
Read More »Digong’s ‘neutral’ foreign policy
President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte made a big splash in the international scene by declaring that he was pursuing an “independent” foreign policy. Then he declared his “separation” from the U.S.; threatened to terminate military
Read More »Is a new ‘alliance’ in the offing?
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s official visit to the Philippines on January 12-13, 2017, came at a crucial moment in Philippine Rodrigo Duterte’s quest for a place on the table of world politics. Last
Read More »Coup rumors cause jitters in Manila
For the past two months Manila was abound with rumors of plots to oust President Rodrigo Duterte. Among the first to hit the rumor mill was an allegation made by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B.
Read More »Quo vadis, Leni?
When Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo entered politics 2013, little did she know that within four years she’d be propelled to the second highest position in the country – the vice presidency. Some people call
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