GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump- Love Him or Hate Him

Donald Trump (photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

With his bold and heavily controversial statements on public issues, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump draws attention not only from the American public but also from his rivals from the Republican and Democratic Parties. The outspoken billionaire always minces no words in his statements in answers to questions asked of him.

On December 8, 2015, in the aftermath of the San Bernardino shooting involving Islamic terrorists, Donald Trump made statements suggesting to “ban Muslims from entering the United States unless its representatives can figure out what is going on.” He then immediately got a lot of criticism over his words. Hilary Clinton, a Democratic Party presidential candidate commented that Trump’s remarks are “shameful” and “dangerous” and that he is playing into the hands of the ISIS by supplying it with new propaganda. Her view was echoed by the Pentagon which voiced concern on the security implication on Trump’s remarks. Fearing a backlash to the party over Trump’s comment, Republican Party presidential candidates also rebuked him. Jeb Bush, another republican presidential candidate said that Trump’s action is helping Clinton to win the presidency, and that Trump is not going to be the Republican Party nominee for president. In the academe, on December 9, 2015, the Robert Gordon University revoked Trump’s Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration for making statements that are incompatible with the ethos and values of the school.                                                

Donald Trump also received a lot of flak abroad over his anti-Muslim rhetoric. British Prime Minister David Cameroon, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Canadian Foreign Minister Stephanie Dion also expressed their criticism. In addition there is a petition in the UK which already gained half a million signatures to ban Trump in the country.

Despite the attacks leveled against him over his anti-Muslim and anti-immigration stance, Trump remains defiant and says that he will stand by with what he said. Latest opinion survey by Huffpost pollster conducted after his controversial remarks shows that his popularity in the Republican Party has not  diminished. He still leads the republican presidential hopefuls with 35.6%. His closest rivals Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio got only 14.1% and 12.3% respectively.

Donald Trump joined the presidential race with official slogan: “We are going to make our country great again.”, and commitment “to become the greatest president that God created.” His proposed policies as president include the deportation of 11 million immigrants from the United States, the construction of a substantial wall on the US-Mexican borders, and the aggressive bombings of the ISIS. He would also support the surveillance of mosques in the US.

Most often, Trump’s statements don’t sit well with the illegal immigrants to include the Syrian refugees and even the liberals. Though there are some people who disagree with his view, there are others who appreciate Trump’s candidness to speak his mind on controversial issues. He says what he feels without being constrained with political correctness. His supporters believe that his views reflect the sentiments of the majority of the Americans.  

You like him or not, Donald Trump if ever he would be elected as the next president of the United States would likely bring significant changes in the country’s policies and direction especially on matters such as immigration and the war on terrorism which are some of the key issues that could sway voters’ preference in the coming US presidential election of 2016. And the world would see a shift from a liberal oriented administration into one with conservative leanings.

The Social Media and the Battle against the ISIS

The rise of the ISIS and its battle against the governments of Syria and Iraq and the Kurds and other armed groups has caught the curiosity and attention of people around the world. Negative news reports on ISIS members’ actions in combats and their treatment of captives and civilians have horrified many people.

Aside from the physical battle, the parties to the conflict also take into account its psychological dimension to boost the war effort. In this regard, the social media particularly Facebook and Twitter has become an unwitting tool or a venue for the battle to win the people’s hearts and minds in the conflict involving ISIS and its opponents.

Concerned of the bad publicity it has brought to Islam since the ISIS claims that it has carried out its act in the name of the religion, leaders of Saudi Arabia and religious clerics as well as some Islamic association of America and Europe have denounced the ISIS stating that the actions and behavior of its members are not compatible with the tenets of Islam. In fact Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Jordan have joined the US led coalition to provide airstrike against the ISIS’ members and their facilities. Other western countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands and Australia have also given support to the forces that are fighting the ISIS such as the Kurds and the Iraqi army.

In a battle, the side which has a superior firepower, proficient and well motivated troops as well as good commanders usually prevails over its weaker opponent. However, the battle to win the people’s hearts and minds including those of the non-combatants cannot be overlooked. This is proven in the American defeat in the Vietnam War. And in the Arab Spring the social media particularly Facebook and Twitter was a tool that galvanized world opinion against state of affairs in the Middle East. The use of the social media stoked the flame of people’s revolt that toppled down long serving and well entrenched autocratic rulers such as the late Col. Muammar Khadafy of Libya and former President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

    

Appalled by the atrocities of the ISIS, some internet users are bringing their opinion and sentiments against it in the internet. Some formed groups in Facebook with the aim of denouncing the ISIS and of giving users updates on news and on the battle that is raging on between the ISIS and the Kurds and other forces opposing it such as the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

The opposition to ISIS is gaining momentum in the social media. And the post and the interaction of users about the ISIS could somehow influence world opinion for or against it. A group such as the ISIS that wants people to submit to their wishes and demands through sheer acts of terror cannot possibly win the hearts and minds of the people in the world.

The Brutalities of the ISIS

Waging jihad to establish Islamic caliphate, the ISIS emerges as the most fearsome and well funded terrorist organization in the world. Its ferocity and determination have made it conquer large swath of lands in Syria and Iraq. During a battle Iraqi security forces fled from engagement leaving behind large quantity of weapons given to them by the Americans. The bonanza of American weapons and their initial military victories were a big boost to the morale of the ISIS fighters.

The advance of the ISIS has displaced thousands of indigenous population. Its onslaught created a flow of refugees in Northern Iraq and the Turkish borders. The ISIS which is mostly composed of Sunnis is at odds with the local Shiites, and armed confrontations are common occurrence between them. Conquering an area, the ISIS militants give the minorities such as the Christians and the Yazidis to convert to Islam or be killed. In areas that fell under their control after a military operation, the militants imposed harsh actions to the local populace. Women and children are separated from the men. The men including older male children are then killed execution style. The method of execution includes shooting, beheading and crucifying. Captured or kidnapped women are then raped or made as sex slaves. Selected young women are gifted to ISIS commanders as “wives”. Captured children are trained to become “holy warriors” or suicide bombers.

The US and western nations airstrikes have given the Kurds, the Iraqi security forces and other local militias a breathing space to deal with the ISIS. The Peshmerga the Kurdish armed forces which took the brunt of the fighting were able to recapture lost grounds. With US air support and weapons supplied by France and other European nations' the Kurds stalled or halted the ISIS advance into their territory.

Getting back at the Americans, the ISIS beheaded two American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in an effort to intimidate them and their allies. France which is active in the campaign against the terror group was also given a warning that its citizens will be targeted.

Despite the US air strikes, the ISIS militants have shown their superiority over local adversaries especially the Iraqi security forces. In the middle of September 2014, ISIS militants besieged an Iraqi army unit guarding a strategic supply route in Western Anbar. Suicide bombers dressed as Iraqi soldiers on bomb-laden Humvee vehicles drove through an army camp and detonated the bombs into the Iraqi soldiers’ positions. The explosions inflicted heavy casualties to the surprised Iraqi army. Amid the chaos and confusion that ensued, the militants then assaulted and overran the camp and killed as many as 250 Iraqi soldiers. Those who were not killed were captured or were able to escape. It is estimated that the Iraqi security forces lost about 500 of its troops that are listed as either killed or missing in that battle.

The brutalities of the ISIS have made some leaders and clerics of Muslim world such as Saudi Arabia to denounce the group. They stated that the group’s actions are disgrace to the Islamic faith and are not compatible with the principles of Islam. And that the ISIS does not represent the Muslims. Putting their money where their mouths are, Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain with Qatar in supporting role have joined the coalition of countries that conducted airstrikes against the ISIS in Syria.

The Philippine Commonwealth, a Transition Government Leading to Philippine Independence

Pres. Manuel L. Quezon

Since it annexed the Philippines in 1898 as an unincorporated territory, the United States observed and acknowledged the fervent aspiration of the Filipinos to have a free and independent nation. To this end, the American congress enacted in 1932 the Hares-Hawes-Cuttings Act setting specific date of Philippine independence. US President Herbert Hoover vetoed the bill. The congress however overrode the president’s veto and the bill became an act. However, during that time a law pertaining to an unincorporated US territory had to first get the approval of the legislative body such as the senate in the case of the Philippines to become enforceable. Philippine Senate President Manuel L. Quezon opposed the act because of its objectionable provisions such as the imposition of tariffs and quota on Philippine exports to the US and the reservation for American military bases in the Philippines.

Another law was crafted in the US to change the Hares-Hawes-Cuttings act. It was called the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934. Little changes to the provisions of the Hares-Hawes-Cuttings act made the Tydings-McDuffie Act acceptable to the Philippine senate.  It was then signed by the US president and became a law, and the prospect for an independent Philippines became a reality.                                      

The Tydings-McDuffie Act gave the Philippines a 10-year transition period before independence. And until then the Philippines was a commonwealth. Executive powers would be handed over by the American governor-general to the new Philippine president. Taking the place of the governor-general was the High Commissioner of the US to the Philippines who was adviser to the Philippine President on matters involving the two countries. In the interim period, the Philippines would have two elected resident commissioners to the US to act as non-voting Philippine representatives to the US congress.  

                        

Pres. Sergio Osmena

A constitutional convention in 1934 was called in Manila. The convention approved a new constitution on February 8, 1935, and was signed by US President Franklin Roosevelt on March 23, 1935. The constitution was ratified by a popular vote on May 14, 1935. The first Philippine Presidential Election was held on September 17, 1935. Manuel L. Quezon was elected as the first president for a one six-year term.  Winning the vice presidency was Sergio Osmeña.  At first the type of legislature under the constitution was unicameral, but it was later amended into a bicameral legislature. Foreign affairs and military matters were the responsibility of the United States and some legislation required the approval of the US president. In his presidency, Quezon’s advisers included General Douglas MacArthur who was a US High Commissioner. The latter had a rank of field marshal of the Philippines.                            

The attack of the Japanese of the American naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 precipitated the entry of the United States into WW II. Japanese planes bombed Central Luzon in the Philippines on December 8, 1941. With the advance of the Japanese forces to Manila, General MacArthur declared it as an "open city" to spare it from destruction that might result in battles. American and Filipino forces surrendered to the Japanese in May 1942.                                                                                              

The progress made by the Japanese forces in the war, made Quezon and some of his top government officials move his seat of government to Corregidor. Later, Quezon with his top government officials joined Macarthur in del Monte, Bukidnon and from there they flew to Australia. Quezon proceeded to the United States where he set up his government-in- exile.  On August 1, 1944, Quezon died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, New York. Sergio Osmeña took his place as the commonwealth president in exile.

In the absence of the legitimate Philippine government, the Japanese occupation forces set up a government called the Second Republic of the Philippines with Jose P. Laurel as the appointed President. This government turned out to be unpopular because the Filipinos hated the Japanese occupation forces.

In 1943, the tide of battle changed in favor of the Americans and the allied forces in the Asia-Pacific theater of war. The Japanese forces suffered huge losses in terms of personnel and equipment and they were pushed every which way by the advancing allied forces. General Douglas MacArthur along with President Sergio Osmeña returned to the Philippines and arrived in Leyte on October 20, 1944.                                                                                                                                                      

The dropping of atomic bombs in the twin Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 respectively made Japan surrender unconditionally to the allied forces led by the Americans on August 14,1945. That act formally ended the war in Asia and the Pacific.                                      

With the end of the war, the commonwealth government was restored, and a presidential election was held. The incumbent president Osmeña was the candidate of the Nacionalista Party. His opponent was Manuel Roxas of the Liberal Party. Osmeña refused to campaign believing that his 40 years of dedicated and honorable services to the country were enough to bring him to victory. In contrast, Roxas made a vigorous campaign for the presidency which eventually rewarded him of winning the election in 1946.   

                                                

Pres. Manuel Roxas

Despite the interruption of the war, the Philippines would meet its timetable for independence. The historic and memorable day came on July 4, 1946. The commonwealth had ended and a new era of an independent Philippines began. In the grand ceremony, Manuel Roxas declared the independence of the country and retook his oath as its president. The event was attended by top Philippine and American officials including some foreign dignitaries and was witnessed by about 400,000 spectators. The lowering of the American flag and the raising of the Philippine flag was accompanied with the clangs of church bells and the cheers of crowds. The waving of the Philippine flag in the air signified the Filipinos’ realized aspiration for independence and the hope for a better tomorrow.

The Philippine Government during the American Colonial Period and the American Governors-General

President William McKinley

Spain ceded the Philippines in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. President William McKinley appointed a Philippine Commission on January 20, 1899 to exercise legislative and limited executive powers over islands whose people were still recovering from the ravages of armed revolution and wars. At that time an American military governor appointed by the US president was the head of the commission who held executive authority. A second Philippine Commission in 1901 paved the way for the setting up of judicial system, a supreme court, and an elected government in the municipal and provincial levels. Executive powers were exercise by an American civil governor who had executive departments.   The title of the governor was later changed to governor-general pursuant to an act of US congress.                                                                                                  

The Philippine Organic Act of July 1, 1902 which was approved by the US congress called for the creation of Philippine Assembly whose members were popularly elected by the Filipinos. In the new government set up the colonial government had a bicameral legislature. The Philippine Assembly was the lower house while the US president appointed Philippine Commission served as the upper house. The Philippine Commission also acted as an executive body with the US president appointed governor-general as its head. Other features of the Philippine Organic Act included the disestablishment of the Catholic Church and the appointment of two Filipinos as resident commissioners of the Philippines to the US to act as non-voting representatives of the Philippines to the US congress. During that time, in the US, matters concerning the 

Philippines were dealt by the Bureau of Insular affairs which oversaw unincorporated American territories.

President Manuel L. Quezon

The Jones Law or the Philippine Autonomy Act which was enacted in the US congress on August 29, 1916, provided for an elected upper house and lower house in the Philippine bicameral legislative body. In effect it created the Philippine senate which replaced the Philippine Commission. On March 24, 1934, the US congress passed Tydings-McDuffie Act which granted self government and independence to the Filipinos after a ten-year transition period. Under that act the Philippines became a commonwealth and the executive authority of the American governor-general was passed on to a Filipino president. Relative to the new law, the title of governor-general was changed to High Commissioner to the Philippines until 1946 when the Philippines gained independence from the United States pursuant to Tydings-McDuffie Act. However, the function of the commissioner was only ceremonial and advisory since executive power was vested to the Filipino president. Manuel L. Quezon was the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth.

During the American colonial period there were 4 military governors, two civil governors and 11 governors- general.  Three were holding the position in acting capacity. The most distinguished governor-general was William Howard Taft who became the 27^th president of the United States. He was also the first civil governor of the Philippines during the American colonial period.  The first military governor was Wesley Merritt who briefly served from August 14-29 1898. The longest serving American governor- general was Francis Burton Harrison who held the office for more than 7 years. Also of note were Lt. Gen Arthur MacArthur, the father of legendary American general Douglas MacArthur and Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the eldest son of US President Theodore Roosevelt.

William Howard Taft

Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

Arthur MacArthur Jr.

Francis Burton Harrison

List of American governors-general in the Philippines during the American colonial period*

Name	From	Until
Military Governors
Wesley Merritt	August 14, 1898	August 29, 1898
Elwell Otis	August 30, 1898	May 5, 1900
Arthur MacArthur Jr.	May 5, 1900	July 14, 1901
Adna Chaffee	July 4, 1901	July 4, 1902
Governors
William Howard Taft	July 4, 1901	February 1, 1904
Luke Edward Wright	February 1, 1904	November 3, 1905
Governors-General
Henry Clay Ide	November 3, 1905	September 19, 1906
James Francis Smith	September 20, 1906	November 11, 1909
William Cameron Forbes	November 11, 1909	September 1, 1913
Newton W. Gilbert (acting)	September 1, 1913	October 6, 1913
Francis Burton Harrison	October 6, 1913	March 5, 1921
Charles Yeater (acting)	March 5, 1921	October 14, 1921
Leonard Wood	October 14, 1921	August 7, 1927
Eugene Allen Gilmore (acting)	August 7, 1927	December 27, 1927
Henry L. Stimson	December 27, 1927	February 23, 1929
Eugene Allen Gilmore (acting)	February 23, 1929	July 8, 1929
Dwight F. Davis	July 8, 1929	January 9, 1932
George C. Butte (acting)	January 9, 1932	February 29, 1932
Theodore Roosevelt Jr.	February 29, 1932	July 15, 1933
Frank Murphy	July 15, 1933	November 15, 1935

*Cahoon, Ben (2000), “Philippines”

Photos (public domain) via Wikipedia

Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Event That Precipitated US Involvement in WWII

Photo via Wikipedia

On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt of United States declared war on Japan. The president described the Japanese attack the day before as “a date which will live in infamy” during his speech in congress.

United States enmity with Japan was caused by the latter’s expansionist and militaristic policies in China and Indochina. To sanction Japan, the United States, Netherlands and Great Britain froze Japanese assets in their countries. On top of it, the United States imposed a petroleum embargo on Japan to deny her military the sources of vital raw materials from Southeast Asia.

Japan had two courses to deal with the tense situation involving her and those hostile western countries. One was to have the petroleum embargo lifted by making a semblance of withdrawal from some conflict areas but all the while maintaining control over other areas that she already occupied. And the extreme measure was to prepare for war.

The United States thought that Japan would not launch an attack against her because Japan was too weak to initiate an attack considering that it had committed a large part of her forces in the occupation of China and Indochina. Because of it, Japan’s forces were so overstretched that it would be unlikely that it could mount a large scale attack against the United States.                                                                    

The rise of General Hideki Tojo as premier pushed Japan further to militaristic tendencies. He set November 29, 1941, as the last day on which Japan would accept a settlement without a war. Tojo’s deadline which was kept secret meant that war was inevitable.                                                                                                   

Japan thought that the US presented a clear threat to its plan to seize petroleum and other resources from her neighboring Asian countries. In that connection, she had to neutralize the US Pacific Fleet which was based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. If it would attack the naval base at all, Japan expected the United States to declare war, but would not be willing to fight long and hard enough to win.

Photo via Wikipedia

On December 7, 1941, the first wave of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor came at about 7:53 a.m.  Carrier-based Japanese torpedo planes attacked the American airfields in the Hawaiian island. Shortly thereafter the ships at the “Battleship Row” were also struck by the torpedo planes.                                   

The second wave of attack by the Japanese torpedo planes was launched at about 8:55 a.m. It hit ships that were already damaged by the first wave of attack and also attacked other targets. The raid was all over by 9:55 a.m. or just in about two hours. As a result, 18 US battleships were sunk or badly damaged, 188 US aircrafts were destroyed and about 3,000 American naval and army personnel were killed or wounded. The Japanese on the other hand had only negligible casualties.

The Japanese forces however were not able to destroy any US aircraft carrier because during the attack all were out at sea. Neither did they destroy submarines, maintenance areas and oil storage facilities. Had the Japanese hit those targets, the damage sustained by the US could have been very substantial.

Lapse in intelligence on the part of the United States contributed to the Japanese military success in Pearl Harbor. In October 1941, US naval authorities disseminated intelligence information to its fleet commanders of an imminent Japanese attack. However, Washington disagreed with the warnings.                                                          

US authorities were able to break the diplomatic code and knew that an attack was imminent just several hours before it happened.  But because of problems in communication, the information was only relayed to Major General Walter C. Short and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, the military commanders of Pearl Harbor, one hour after the incident happened.

There were also other signs of an impending attack. One was the sinking of a Japanese midget submarine which was spotted at the entrance of Pearl Harbor at 6:30 a.m. However, the naval authorities failed to appreciate the significance of that sunken submarine. The Army Radar Station in Hawaii also reported sightings of planes that were 50 miles from it. But the lieutenant who was told of that information believed that they were US planes returning from reconnaissance flight or they were B17s scheduled to arrive from California.

The attack on Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii forced the United States to join the war on the side of the allied forces. Germany and Italy declared war on the US on December 11, 1941, which escalated the worst global armed conflict the world has ever known.

China and Japan Territorial Dispute in East China Sea: a Flash Point in the Pacific

Photo credit: Wikipedia

The uninhabited islets of East China Sea are another flash point east of the Pacific Ocean. China, Japan and Taiwan are involved in dispute over conflicting claims on chain of islands called Senkaku by the Japanese and Diaoyu by the Chinese.  China also claims ownership and sovereignty over Spratly’s group of islands at the South China Sea which is also contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

Early in August 2012, a group of 14 residents from Hong Kong and mainland China travelled by fishing boat and landed in one of the islands at Diaoyu. Japanese authorities then arrested and deported them. Later, a group of Japanese activists on a flotilla of 150 people went to the Japanese controlled Diaoyu group of islands. Ten of them swam ashore and raised the Japanese flag on one of the Islands on August 19. 2012. Although that move was not sanctioned by the Japanese government, it nevertheless sparked a nationwide protest in China.

The tense situation came to a head when Japan announced that it bought some of the islands at Diaoyu from their private owner at 26 million dollars. This infuriated China and President Hu Jintao warned that the move was invalid and illegal. In relation to the Japanese action, the Chinese took to the streets in the cities of Guanzhou, Wenzhou, Shanghai and other cities, and attacked some Japanese-owned business establishments. The protesters also threatened to boycott Japanese-made products and establishments. The situation forced the Japanese companies such as Panasonic, Toyota and others to temporarily suspend their operations.  

Taiwan joined the fray by sending 50 fishing vessels escorted by patrol ships to Diaoyu Islands. They were intercepted by Japanese coast guard ships which fired water cannon into the vessels. The Taiwanese patrol ships retaliated by also firing their water cannon into the Japanese ships. It was fortunate that the drama ended with neither side firing real ammunition.

Lately, China bought from Ukraine and put into service its first ever aircraft carrier joining the exclusive clubs of ten countries with active aircraft carriers. Christened Liaoning, the aircraft carrier can hold 30 fixed wing fighters which is way below the capacity of the much larger Nimitz class aircraft carrier of the US that can carry around 90 aircrafts. China is adding to its fleet six more aircraft carriers that are still in the process of construction.  From all indications, China aims to become the most dominant military power in the region.

Engaging in armed confrontation with Japan and even with the weaker countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines is not the best way for China to project itself as an emerging world power because it owes its prosperity with its trading with the west, Japan and other countries that are allied to the United States. Moreover, Japan like the Philippines has an outstanding mutual defense treaty with the United States. The treaties call for mutual military assistance in the event of an attack by another country. The United States confirmed that the islands disputed by Japan and China are covered by its security treaty with Japan.                                               

For China, Japan, unlike any other claimants of the disputed groups of island east of the Pacific is no pushover. Japan was once a world military power with a history of occupying China, and its economy at present is one of the largest and the strongest in the world. It is also one of the leading countries in the world with access to most advanced and sophisticated technologies that may include weapons. An armed confrontation between Japan and China may probably end in stalemate with Japan gaining the political advantage.

Despite their differences, Japan and China need each other to sustain their economic growth. China, a prosperous country with a very large population is a very big market for the Japanese to ignore. On the part of China, Japan is one of its largest trading partners.

Most of the Islands and islets in the disputed seas are barren.  However, the seas have great economic and strategic significance. The South and East China seas are trade route of about 5 trillion dollars worth of goods. They are a rich fishing area and are also believed to sit in huge deposits of oil and natural gas.

Barring substantial find of oil and natural gas deposits on or at the disputed group of islands; China, Japan, Taiwan and especially the weaker countries would not initiate move that would start a full blown war because their economic interest and well being would be adversely affected. Claimant countries may have a distrust or animosity to one another.  And isolated cases of armed clashes may arise from their dispute, but they may avoid resorting to war to settle their differences.

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Middle East Situation 11 Years after the 9/11 Attack: from Arab Spring into Autumn of Disappointment

Pres. Barack Obama (a public domain image from Wikimedia Commons)

People the world over were euphoric over the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of US Navy SEALS on May 2, 2011. Many people especially the Americans were gratified that justice was served to one of the most notorious terrorists of the world who was responsible for the death of thousands of innocent lives during the 9/11 attack in 2001. Although the death of bin Laden has not totally eliminated Al Qaeda, his terror group, its activities are significantly reduced and some of its top leaders are either neutralized or killed.

Then there was the Arab Spring in December 2010 that started in Tunisia where Prime Minister Ali was forced out from power by his own people. The movement spread to other Arab countries such as Libya and Egypt and others where long reigning and well entrenched dictators like Muammar Khadaffy and Hosni Mubarak were swept from power by people’s uprising. At present the leader of Syria is under threat of being overthrown too.

What is significant about the incidents is that it was the western countries which are instrumental in the ouster of the dictators. In Egypt the administration of US President Barack Obama played an important role to have the former Egyptian president resigned from office. France took the lead in helping the rebels fight the dictator Muammar Khadaffy.  Later, the participation of the US enabled the allied forces to target strategic areas with precision aerial bombs which weakened the dictator’s forces. Khaddafy was later killed as he tried to escape from Libya.

As soon as Mubarak was out from office it appeared that groups who are perceived as hostile to the west such as the Muslim Brotherhood loomed as the force that would come to power in the country. They won the majority of seats in the parliament, and Muhammad Morsi, a leading member of the group was elected as president. The west considers the Muslim Brotherhood as an extremist group whose agenda is not compatible with its ideals.

The 2012 anniversary of the 9/11 attack was marred with violence in the fledgling governments in the Middle East. Some people there were up in arms against a video that is offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslims. In Egypt the walls of the US embassy were scaled by protesters. It seemed that during that time, the military and the police were not around to quell the demonstration. That sight was in contrast to the previous demonstration leading to the ouster of Mubarak where security forces were always around to be on top of the situation.

In Libya, also during the 9/11 anniversary, the insurgents stormed the US consulate in Benghazi . Later, news broke out that US Ambassador  J. Christopher Stevens’ along with 3 American consulate staff was killed  in the attack.

Mitt Romney

Relative to the incident, President Barack Obama came under fire by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for allegedly issuing statements apologizing to the protesters for that offensive video rather than condemning their attack of the US embassies in Egypt and Libya.                                                

In a press conference on the incidents, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton issued statement expressing disapproval of the inflammatory video but also emphasized her country’s respect of the rights of its citizens to freedom of expression. She also said that the act of violence is not a justifiable reaction to the offensive video. She also condemned the attack of the American embassies and their personnel, and stated that it was only carried out by small armed group, and it was not caused by the Libyan government or its people.                               

White House also issued statement distancing itself from a previous one that triggered Romney’s remark. President Obama blasted Romney for politicizing the incident in the Middle East. He found allies in the mainstream US media who grilled Romney during his own press conference for his remark that was critical to Obama.  However, Romney stood by his statements and said that the United States should not apologize for its values.

Some observers thought that the protest over the video was only a pretext for a planned and coordinated attack on American interest in the Middle East in the 9/11 anniversary. Many videos, articles, blogs and even websites that are critical to Islam have been in the internet for over a long time. And it is only now that a wide spread protest over that single video is staged when other posts are equally or more offensive. What is conspicuously significant is that the timing of the protest and attack in Egypt and Libya coincided with the anniversary of 9/11. With the incident, the world can only surmise that extremist groups such as Al Qaeda, which aims to dominate the world with its distorted interpretation of Islam is still around and is still capable of wreaking havoc around the world.

At present the situation in the Middle East is filled with uncertainty. It comes just about only two months before the presidential election on November 6, 2012. It will certainly become one of the main issues that will be exploited by both contending parties to get the nod of the voters. US voters are likely to give more weight to the economy than to foreign affairs in making their choice for a candidate. However, the incidents in Middle East are too remarkable to notice. Obama’s handling of it can make a significant impact on the result of 2012 US presidential election.                                                                       

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The rise of the Marxist Soviet Union after the Second World War put it in collision course with the United States the world’s another super power. Their competition for global leadership brought about the Cold War. The fall of China to the communist under Mao Zedong in 1949 made the United States to be more concerned of the spread of communism to other parts of the world. In connection with the global political and security concerns that were prevailing at that time, the United States and the Philippines signed a Mutual Defense Treaty on August 31, 1951 at Washington D.C. which called for the two nations to help each other if either of them is attacked by an external enemy within its territory. The term of the treaty is indefinite and ends one year after one of the parties notified the other of its desire to terminate the agreement.                                                 

During the Cold War, the US and the USSR fortunately did not engage each other physically which would have been catastrophic for the world. However, they did compete utilizing their client states and at times sent their own forces to participate in battles such as the war in Viet Nam and Afghanistan. The war in Korea ended in a stale mate. And the conflict in Cuba and the war in Viet Nam ended in communist victory. The support of the US of corrupt and repressive anti-communist dictators like Anastasio Somoza and Ferdinand Marcos made the US unpopular to the people where those leaders reigned. The dumping of hated dictators by the US when they were no longer useful to it had created an image of the US as untrustworthy ally.

Anti-US sentiment and distrust to the US were manifested in the Philippines in 1997 when the expiring US Bases Agreement of 1947 was to be renewed by the Philippine Senate. Despite US President’s George Herbert Walker Bush’s support of it and Philippine President’s Corazon Aquino’s intimate campaign to have it renewed, the Senators nevertheless rejected the agreement on September 13, 1991. The last American troops left the Philippines on November 24, 1992.

The incident on 9/11 in USA on the bombing of Twin Towers of New York precipitated to the US War on Terrorism. The threat posed by Abu Sayyaf which is linked with the Jemaah Islamiyah, an international terrorist organization, has rekindled military cooperation between the US and the Philippines in dealing with mutual security concern. Pestered by kidnappings and other terroristic activities perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf, the Philippines welcomed the presence of limited number of US troops whose operations and conduct are regulated by the Visiting Forces Agreement between the US and the Philippines. The United States considers VFA as executive agreement that does not need the approval of the US Senate.                                                                                                                                                     

Despite the constitutional provision banning foreign forces in the Philippines, the government recognized its legitimacy. Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo invoked the 1951 RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty to justify presence of US troops. They are in the Philippines as advisers and trainers to the Armed Forces of the Philippines on counter-terrorism. They are also involved in civic action to help depressed communities in the south. So far, the partnership of US and Filipino troops has resulted to the killing of top Abbu-Sayaff leaders and the rescue of American kidnap victim Gracia Burnham on June 7, 2002.

Another matter that is of mutual security concern to the Philippines and the United States is the situation at South China Sea. At present the administration of President Benigno Aquino III is faced with the problem of conflicting claims of neighboring countries on shoals and islets in the South China Sea. A case in point is the Scarborough Shoal which is 198 kilometers off Subic Bay in the Philippine province of Zambales, and it is therefore within the Philippines’ 200 nautical kilometers exclusive economic zone (EEZ). However, it is also claimed by China. The situation becomes volatile for both countries, and the Philippines is in no position to uphold its claim militarily because of the economic strength and the influence of China in the global community.

The Philippines’ quest for the resolution of dispute on territorial boundary with China got a big boost when US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton aboard USS Fitzgerald signed the Manila Declaration on November 16, 2011, reaffirming US commitment to honor the Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines. The declaration was signed in the presence of her Filipino counterpart Foreign affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario.

Furthermore, the US Senate passed Resolution 481 on June 5, 2012, calling for increased defense and security cooperation between the United States and the Philippines. President Aquino visited the White House to talk with US President Barack Obama in the second week of June 2012 on bilateral issues concerning economic, security and defense in the Asia-Pacific region.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has announced in Singapore that the US will position 60% of its naval ships in the Asia-Pacific region before the end 2020. That figure is an increase by 10% of the current  deployment of 50%. His pronouncement emphasized the importance of Asia Pacific in the US’s future economic and defense plans. The region is the home of the world’s second and third largest economies by GDP like China, and Japan plus the economic power houses such as South Korea, India, Singapore and Taiwan.

China’s economy is predicted to improve even more in the years to come and that it will even surpass that of the United States. China’s military power is also growing and it is modernizing its Peoples’ Liberation Army. Its military might and its aggressive stance in the South China Sea relative to its claims on the disputed areas are cause of concern to its neighbors.                                                                

The defense and security cooperation between the United States and the Philippines is highly beneficial not only to the national interest of both countries but also to the other countries in the region. The increased presence of the US Navy will maintain the balance of power in the South China Sea. It will make the waters in it accessible to international vessels for economic and other productive purposes. The Philippines with its strategic location is a valuable partner of the US in that endeavor. The Philippines also needs the US to protect its interest in the disputed Scarborough Shoal because its Armed Forces is poorly equipped. It needs a credible defense, and cooperative and friendly relations with other countries to sustain its economic growth. The Philippines at present is a new industrializing country which is the 45^th largest economy in the world by GDP. It is projected by HSBC to become the 16^th world largest economy by 2050.

Related posts:

China and Japan Territorial Dispute in East China Sea: a Flash Point in the Pacific

Martial Law: Marcos' Coup to Cling to Power

China and Philippine Dispute over Scarborough Shoal
The Historic Philippine-United States Relationship
The Communist Insurgency in the Philippines