A repost from Jun Avelino, a B.S. International Relations graduate, for us to THINK about the saddest reality in our country today.
When you are a Foreign Service graduate, you are trained how to be prim and proper. Heads of States and their ambassadors are expected to be the epitome of decency when they speak with their counterparts. My professor once said, “When a diplomat says yes, he means perhaps; When he says perhaps, he means no; When he says no, he is not a good diplomat.” Being confrontational and too direct is a taboo in the culture of diplomacy. In the halls of UN and on a country’s diplomatic corps, diplomats and heads of states shake hands, embrace each other like brothers and sisters and their rhetoric is full of decency. Yet, at the back of their minds, they plan how to back-stab each other. Beyond the smiles is a deceitful plan of outdoing each other. They kill by the thousands, annihilate a race and destroy countries. Look at what happened in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Crimea, Ukraine, and many other countries at war with each other, and the brutal way of how they handle migration of people in Europe. The halls of the UN have become the meeting place of the real murderers who kill with no mercy behind their cover – diplomacy. This smacks of hypocrisy at its highest level.
When I read our country’s traditional diplomats lecturing Duterte on the art of diplomacy, I puked. And when Filipinos called him out for his foul mouth (psychopath) and not being “prim and proper”, I puked hard. For if we are to believe the decency that we see in the world of diplomacy, then we are living in a perfect world – the utopia of the Marxist-Leninist ideologues. But no, the whole world is in chaos because diplomacy has become the repository of lies, deceit, betrayal and murderous plans and those people in black suit whom you called prim and proper, talking peace in the halls of UN have blood on their hands. They are to be held responsible for the thousand deaths in different countries of the world and for all the wars and global inhumane displacements because of their hypocrisy. Duterte’s foul mouth is espousing that filthy smell of diplomatic hypocrisy. While some idiots in our country consider him a source of national shame, the world is curiously watching him beyond his harsh rhetoric. When Duterte announced that he is pursuing an independent foreign policy for the Philippines, he is actually declaring war – the proxy war between US and China that is happening in our country.
How do superpowers fight each other nowadays? No, they don’t invade each other militarily. They bring their war somewhere else because they want to protect their own people. They bring their war to another land to save their own. It’s a proxy war which can take many forms. The war in Syria albeit started by ISIS, has now become the war between US and Russia and the two have just suspended diplomatic ties. The Yemen war is supposed to be an internal conflict, but US and Iran’s hands are all over the place. The Afghanistan war is a war between US and Iran with the backing of Russia. Crimea’s dissent was instigated by Russia before it declared independence and prior to annexation by Russia. And it’s all because Georgia is pro America. The war in Ukraine is a showdown between Russia and the West. The Iraq war is a pre-emptive measure to prevent terrorists from bringing again the war in the American soil, and many more.
Post 9/11 era, Russia, China and Iran are launching proxy wars with US in different countries of the world which prompted US to strengthen its alliance with these countries. In the case of the Philippines, Duterte is fighting against that proxy war. First, he is cutting loose the grip of the US over our socio political system. For nearly a century now, US tacit influence over our government has been prevalent. Almost all our Presidents are associated with the US post EDSA revolution. Cory stayed in Boston for the duration of Ninoy’s exile. Ramos was a Westpointer military man. Arroyo had studied in the US and is a very good friend of his classmate, Bill Clinton. All of them never attempted to chart a different direction of our foreign policy, thereby strengthening further American influence thereon. Aside from Erap whose presidency was abbreviated by Edsa Dos, we only have Duterte who hails from Davao and refused to be associated with the West. His revolting posture against the west as exemplified on his refusal to be confrontational with China threatens American interest in the Asia Pacific – an act favorable to China which is watching Duterte’s foreign policy direction. But US cannot afford to lose Philippines on its grip due to its strategic location in neutralizing China in flexing its muscles further. By all means, they will not allow China to get control over the South China Sea. Hence, the need to get Duterte out of the equation. Has one ever wondered why De Lima’s statements on EJK reverberates around the world? It’s because US supports it; UN seconds it; and Europe is happy about it. Hence, it becomes a global issue instead of being just a domestic one. They helped the anti Duterte forces in discrediting the President internationally with the hope of convincing majority of Filipinos to go against their President. Recent survey shows that 8 out of 10 pinoys support Duterte; Only one is not, while the other one is undecided.
Given that massive support, America is now shifting its war to a different mode – the Low Intensity Conflict. US has been notorious in using this approach in 3rd world countries, particularly those whose leadership they do not control, e.g., Guatemala, Hondura, Nicaragua, El Salvador, etc. It seeks to polarize the country by supporting its opposition in constantly hammering the government until its leaders are replaced. What is crucially disturbing is the penetration of this approach in our media which has become the mouthpiece of the West’s propaganda against our government. Hence, even if their numbers are small, the issues are magnified. Duterte knows that he is fighting from within a giant monster that controls almost all facets of our lives for nearly a century now. Our US colonial mentality is still very much in control of our system. Some Filipinos have chosen to continue licking that filthy ass of Uncle Sam to date. On another front, we are under attack by China on the west Philippine sea row. Moreover, the magnitude of its business and products in our country is its approach of gaining influence in the social fabric of our lives, competing with that of America. And yes, including illegal drugs that flood their way into our shores from China. Although there is no proof that the entry of illegal drugs is state-sanctioned, the writings are on the wall. For our country to become a narco state will work in favor of China as they can now dictate the country’s leadership through the use of drug money. When Duterte expressed his anti west sentiments, it does not mean he is for China. Duterte’s position of pushing for an independent foreign policy is the only way to preserve our country’s existence – not by siding to either of the bully countries.
The on-going polarization of our country due to controversies besetting the Duterte government is therefore the resultant effect of the proxy war between US and China. Filipinos should see this instead of falling into the trap by fighting with each other over his foul mouth while the real culprits are watching with amusement from afar. We may not agree with Duterte in many respects, and for sure, he respects our democratic rights to disagree with him. But we have to be with him in his fight against this creeping proxy war that is happening in our land and gradually destroying our country.”
This post is moved to https://leftfootforwardph.blogspot.com
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