"In and of itself, of course, this disrespectful outburst would only present a minor moment of irritation, but it comes on the heals of a recalcitrant Turkey – a key NATO ally- going off-script..."
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
In case you missed it, the newly-elected president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte just referred to the American ambassador to his country as a “gay son of a bitch”, threatened to leave the United Nations, and called America’s Secretary of State John Kerry “crazy”.
He also revealed how his government received hush money on the order of 33 million dollars to persuade Duterte into acquiescence.
The leader of the Philippines just yanked away the Wizard’s curtain to reveal what’s up in the merry old land of Geopolitics, openly challenging the American Empire with stunning invective. Imagine - the Philippines - Asia’s sock puppet of American hegemony has turned against their fearsome masters. This, my dear munchkins, marks the beginning of the end of the great and powerful OZ.
It’s one thing for a formidable adversary like Russia (the wicked witch of the East) and China to stand up to the West, but true and reliable Philippines? Purchased for a mere 20 million dollars from then defeated Spain in 1898 this Southeastern Asian archipelago of 7,000 plus islands has been an American colony of major geopolitical significance ever since. Losing this military outpost would be a major setback for the Empire in so… so many ways.
In and of itself, of course, this disrespectful outburst would only present a minor moment of irritation, but it comes on the heals of a recalcitrant Turkey – a key NATO ally- going off-script and threatening to veer off the yellow brick road towards the silk one along with Russia. This rapprochement with Russia is truly a turning point recognized by Eric Zuesse as an “earthquake” in international relations.
As history shows, whenever a colorful and eccentric political leader criticizes America they are demonized by the western news media. So it was no surprise that CNN – the cowardly lion of “news outlets” wasted no time in comparing Duterte to Donald Trump. Referring to Duterte as a “fascist dictator”, the comparison was meant as a warning to Americans contemplating voting for Duerte’s counterpart in America. But if you’ve seen this movie before you know that the cowardly lion got upbraided and put in its place by a young maiden called Russia Today. The cowardly lion is now a running joke.
If - as some political scientists believe - the American Empire is truly crumbling you will soon see another domino fall. We’re talking South Korea. If the government in Seoul should come to realize that being a close ally of America is causing more harm than good, a messy divorce may be in the offing. Faced with an increasingly dangerous North Korea armed with more powerful weapons, Seoul may ask Uncle Sam to quietly leave the peninsula in order to alleviate rising tensions and avoid a disastrous fratricide than no Korean really wants. And if that happens there would be a very real danger that Japan – suffering from severe economic difficulties- could make their own Asian pivot away from the United States simply as a pragmatic survival tactic.
How the elites who rule America respond to this growing revolt in the ranks is of paramount importance, but one thing is for sure folks: “We’re no longer in Kansas”.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
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