Newly elected president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte demands America to withdraw special forces in the southern Philippines citing their presence to "complicate offensives against Islamist militants notorious for beheading Westerners". Special forces were first deployed in Philippines by U.S. in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting Abu Sayyaf militants with ties to ISIS. Although most of the special forces were relocated by 2015 some still remain to protect westerners in the region and provide "logistics and technical support".
On a domestic note Rodrigo Duterte who is also known as the Donald Trump of the Philippines has already caused tension between US and Philippines relations after calling Obama a "son of a b***h" and accusing white westerners for inviting trouble by visiting a country where terrorist groups like Abu Sayyaf kidnap them for ransom. On top of this his relations with the UN is also deteriorating after calling UN human rights experts "stupid" for criticizing his war on drugs and then threatening to leave the UN shortly after.
1. What is your opinion surrounding the war on terrorism?
2. Should the U.S. scale back on its use of foreign intervention?
3. Is Duterte a leader to be reasoned with?
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-usa-duterte-idUSKCN11I10J
Question1
The war on terrorism is a very important issue today which has innumerable sides to it. I feel that the war on terror should be stopped with as many means as possible as it is a growing problem that could potentially lead to another big war. I feel the U.S. should scale back only if the people in the Philippines wish so. Duterte does not sound like a leader to be reasoned with but I've onl hear one perspective.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this the guy who wants to put the Philippines under martial law if the UN doesn't let him have his war on drugs? Isn't this the guy who executed SUSPECTED criminals without due process? I think that he is using terrorism as an excuse to get United States troops out of the Philippines so he can carry through with his plan of full control. This isn't a guy to be reasoned with. While on one hand, he was elected, only about 39% of people in the Philippines (i.e. not the majority). While it may strain relations with the Philippines, moving troops out of the Philippines would just serve to move the country closer to a dictatorship.
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ReplyDeleteI think the war on terrorism could be approached differently. Terrorism is an awful, terrible idea, and we are combating it; however, there is a heavy anti-Muslim mindset that has been catching on due to the terrorists. For Duterte, he is getting too caught up in his power fantasy. He is the leader of a nation, but he is far from a world leader. He has very little influence in global politics. In addition to this, Duterte is notorious for having drug dealers in his country executed for his own "war on drugs." He can be perceived as a very brutal leader, and his opinion should always be taken with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the war on terrorism is a huge part of our world today and the US needs to keep up their foreign intervention in order to ensure American security.
ReplyDeleteThe war on terrorism is a very important topic that the US should focus on. Terrorism poses a very dangerous threat on the safety of the US, therefore all measures should be taken to control it. The US should cut back on foreign intervention only if it is in favor of the Philippians and the US. Duterte does not seem like a leader to reason with due to his inability to cooperate.
ReplyDeleteDuerte clearly has the right to advocate for what he believes are the best means by which his nation should be dealing with terrorist threats. Since relations between the Philippines and United States military, two parties that should be willing to work together, are becoming tense, it's unlikely that either of them will be very successful in their efforts to defend against ISIS
ReplyDeleteDuterte has gotten a lot of international attention in recent months for extrajudicial killings of people suspected to be involved with selling or using drugs. His decision to lash out at President Obama raises further questions about his temperament. Whether or not the US has troops in the Philippines seems to be less of a concern than the safety of people in the country from Duterte's "war on drugs" enforcement squad.
ReplyDeleteI do not think making these sort of comments and demands will help anything related to the war on terrorism. I personally believe that the US should stop being the World's Police and just stay where it is needed. I do not think Duterte is somebody to be ordered to do things, but judging from this article he seems like he can be reasoned with.
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ReplyDeleteAs a filipino myself, I've heard of many different types of stories about the Duterte. He may believe he has good intentions but his tactics on handling issues in the Philippines are way to extreme. Leaders are suppose to lead and inspire, not slaughter your own people.
ReplyDeleteAs a filipino myself, I've heard of many different types of stories about the Duterte. He may believe he has good intentions but his tactics on handling issues in the Philippines are way to extreme. Leaders are suppose to lead and inspire, not go the easy route and slaughter your own.
ReplyDeleteI do not express my opinions on this topic but it is terrible. I do believe that we should fall back on foreign interventions because there is not really a lot of reasons for us to be there in the first place.He is because we have to show him that he cannot control other countries.
ReplyDeleteYes the U.S. should scale back on foreign intervention because it could easily backfire on us, and cause the U.S. to get involved in many crises that are not needed. The U.S. should only get involved in the situation if a country asks for help. However, the War on Terrorism poses a huge threat in the United States and in other countries, so it is best if each country protects themselves as best as they can, and also work together to defeat any problems with terrorism.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the US should get involved in more wars. Just like the Vietnam War, the US has a history of being a violent interloper. The excuse for war on terrorism isn't enough to justify the US's intervention in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteI believe that America should try to avoid placing troops in too many countries, especially with modern technology where troops can get across the world in a few days America should try to keep troops out of places they are unwelcome in unless there is something directly needing their assistance, That way we can avoid political hostilities and cut down on the military budget
ReplyDeleteI believe that the US should cut down on foreign intervention because we have other, more important things to worry about. Also, the consequences that may potentially come along should be strongly considered.
ReplyDeleteThe war on terrorism is such a huge thing in today's headlines because of ISIS. The US should scale back just so that the Philippines can have their land back and do what they do to control their land. Duterte should not be able to kill the people because it seems like he could just kill someone that is innocent and the family would be devastated from a lose of their child if they knew they did not do anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe US has been notorious. since it's conception, of being in places that we should not be in. We should only be involved in places that we are called to specifically by the countries. We should scale back the amount of troops and worry about our domestic safety before dealing with foreign affairs.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the war on terrorism needs to involve more of an international effort and not solely focus on a single nation combating threats in multiple foreign nations. The U.S. presence abroad to fight ISIS threats and threats in the Philippines and beyond is necessary to keep the prominent threat of attacks at a lower rate. Duterte is a crazed leader who follows his own terms and would only listen if things were on his own terms.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the war on terrorism needs to involve more of an international effort and not solely focus on a single nation combating threats in multiple foreign nations. The U.S. presence abroad to fight ISIS threats and threats in the Philippines and beyond is necessary to keep the prominent threat of attacks at a lower rate. Duterte is a crazed leader who follows his own terms and would only listen if things were on his own terms.
ReplyDeleteI think that the US should pull back a little bit in terms of involvement in foreign affairs. However, similar to what Tomislav said, the war on terrorism should not be put solely on one country, but helped and have efforts come in from a collection of nations.
ReplyDeleteThe war on terrorism is a pressing topic that the US definitely needs to address. Terrorism is a very dangerous threat to people's safety. Thus, all measures should be taken in response of it. In this case, it would be best that the US cut back on foreign intervention because Duterte is not a leader to reason with.
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