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Duterte’s Geopolitical Gamble

Duterte’s Geopolitical Gamble
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Malacanang palace in Manila. Duterte has positioned the Philippines closer to China but needs the United States for security. REUTERS/Ezra Acayan
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte came to office In 2016 with a jarring vision for his country’s geopolitical orientation: He would distance Manila from Washington and align it with Beijing. This plan was never realistic for true realignment and would be a complex undertaking beyond the power of one president.
However, Duterte has succeeded in repositioning the Philippines closer to neutral in the region’s great power dynamic. At the same time, the United States has kept a strong pull on the Philippines in ways that Duterte cannot ignore.
Walter Lohman
Walter Lohman
Author
Walter Lohman is the director of the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center. He also is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University for American foreign policy interests in Southeast Asia and an expert for Geopolitical Intelligence Services. This article was first published by GIS Reports Online. 
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