Duterte: Hitler killed millions of Jews, I will kill millions of drug addicts

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

I would simply stop all government-to-government contacts. US troops should be withdrawn from Mindanao (and everywhere else in the country) within a week or less - whether Philippine government is ready to take over or not. Embassador should be recalled for indefinite consultations, with a junior diplomat left in charge of skeleton staff. Phone calls should be returned by junior officials. US businessmen should be proactively informed that US government will not be able to protect their interests in any way if anything goes wrong. Philippines are of insufficient importance to the US to bother much in this case. If China wants to take over as their main protector, it should be welcome.

Uh, yeah, I actually think Duterte would be okay with this. His side of the Pilipino political spectrum wants US troops out of the country.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

I would simply stop all government-to-government contacts. US troops should be withdrawn from Mindanao (and everywhere else in the country) within a week or less - whether Philippine government is ready to take over or not. Embassador should be recalled for indefinite consultations, with a junior diplomat left in charge of skeleton staff. Phone calls should be returned by junior officials. US businessmen should be proactively informed that US government will not be able to protect their interests in any way if anything goes wrong. Philippines are of insufficient importance to the US to bother much in this case. If China wants to take over as their main protector, it should be welcome.

And, of course, the fact that Israel still has an embassador in Manila is a sign of how hypocritical that country´s government is. Had a head of any Muslim or European state said something 1/10th as offensive, they would have been jumping up and down in fake rage. They seem to be pretty damn silent.

The problem is Duterte seems more than willing to let this happen. Willing to bury the South China Sea issue, even. Chinese Ambassador gave a speech, could hardly contain his delight.

Sure. Let him do this. He might even get to be the second secretary of the Pilipino Autonomous district's party organization.

As long as the US takes in the refugees, I am fine about it.

Not going to happen. Wouldn't be surprised if Duterte is yanking America's chain because he knows that being absorbed into China's direct political sphere might start a domino effect in SEA. I mean, the US could call the bluff, but, when do they ever?

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

I would simply stop all government-to-government contacts. US troops should be withdrawn from Mindanao (and everywhere else in the country) within a week or less - whether Philippine government is ready to take over or not. Embassador should be recalled for indefinite consultations, with a junior diplomat left in charge of skeleton staff. Phone calls should be returned by junior officials. US businessmen should be proactively informed that US government will not be able to protect their interests in any way if anything goes wrong. Philippines are of insufficient importance to the US to bother much in this case. If China wants to take over as their main protector, it should be welcome.

And, of course, the fact that Israel still has an embassador in Manila is a sign of how hypocritical that country´s government is. Had a head of any Muslim or European state said something 1/10th as offensive, they would have been jumping up and down in fake rage. They seem to be pretty damn silent.

The problem is Duterte seems more than willing to let this happen. Willing to bury the South China Sea issue, even. Chinese Ambassador gave a speech, could hardly contain his delight.

Sure. Let him do this. He might even get to be the second secretary of the Pilipino Autonomous district's party organization.

As long as the US takes in the refugees, I am fine about it.

Not going to happen. Wouldn't be surprised if Duterte is yanking America's chain because he knows that being absorbed into China's direct political sphere might start a domino effect in SEA. I mean, the US could call the bluff, but, when do they ever?

Actually, if anything, it will have the opposite effect (unless Trump is elected in the US). It would be an objective reason why US is much preferable as a partner.

I think that depends on whether or not the Chinese model of soveriegnty takes hold.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

If the Philippine economy improves, Duterte's popularity will only grow. He rode in as a sort-of agrarian populist socialist (not in the progressive sense, mind you) fighting for Philippine sovereignty and supposedly against neoliberal policies. We'll have to wait and see if his reforms actually end up working or not.

But frankly, take away his drug-killing stance and he basically looks like any other somewhat left-of-center politican.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

If the Philippine economy improves, Duterte's popularity will only grow. He rode in as a sort-of agrarian populist socialist (not in the progressive sense, mind you) fighting for Philippine sovereignty and supposedly against neoliberal policies. We'll have to wait and see if his reforms actually end up working or not.

But frankly, take away his drug-killing stance and he basically looks like any other somewhat left-of-center politican.

Yeah..take away the warmongering and mass murder...and Hitler was a veritable Frank Roosevelt.

Sometimes you can't take these things away.

Well that's an extension of my point -- if you begin looking at things simply from a perspective of economic well-being, what ends up happening to your society? Remember that a central part of Duterte's diatribe against drug users is that they're lazy and hamper the country's productivity.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

If the Philippine economy improves, Duterte's popularity will only grow. He rode in as a sort-of agrarian populist socialist (not in the progressive sense, mind you) fighting for Philippine sovereignty and supposedly against neoliberal policies. We'll have to wait and see if his reforms actually end up working or not.

But frankly, take away his drug-killing stance and he basically looks like any other somewhat left-of-center politican.

Yeah..take away the warmongering and mass murder...and Hitler was a veritable Frank Roosevelt.

Sometimes you can't take these things away.

Well that's an extension of my point -- if you begin looking at things simply from a perspective of economic well-being, what ends up happening to your society? Remember that a central part of Duterte's diatribe against drug users is that they're lazy and hamper the country's productivity.

The point is that all this becomes irrelevant when you're a mass murderer.

As far as many Pilipinos are concerned, they see America do it all the time but to other people (or in the case of the American soldiers commiting crimes against Pilipinos in the Laude or Subic Rape cases, allowed to get away from crimes with more lenient sentences with the public perception being "because they're Americans"). So the follow-up question for them becomes why shouldn't they be allowed to do what they wish on their own soil?

I'm not saying that what Duterte doing is good (personally, I think it's one of the greatest atrocities currently happening currently), but to understand why he has so much support, even from groups that are traditionally anti-government, is to understand that his ascendency is a result of a very complicated hodgepodge of bad governance and corruption. A lot of Pilipinos care more about their economic well-being than they do about drug users dying. It's partially a failure of the electoral system (which is ridiculously idiotic and should not have been implemented upon the ratification of the new constitution), partially an economic planning failure spanning decades where a country's middle and lower classes see its primary export as it's own people, asks "What could be so wrong here that my daughter or my mother has to leave me, travel thousands of miles, just to pay for the food on my table?", looks at an aristocracy that has largely been in-place since the pre-World War II era tell them that the country is growing economically, and sees a man who says "I'm going to bring you that money" while seeming to be completely genuine about it.

If the economy tanks, he's done. The military will happily join a public revolt against him as he's very much not well-liked in those circles. If it doesn't, and he actually does manage to lessen inequality, then he's going to be viewed as a success domestically. In the end, it's the minimizing of corruption, spreading of wealth, and keeping food on the table with the ability to keep your family together at the same time that's important to these people.