‘With such an unstable former ally in Washington, it is best that we carve out a modus vivendi with Beijing based on mutual respect of national sovereignty.’
THERE is an important lesson to be drawn from the scattered foreign policy pieces of the pre-Trump USA. And the lesson is this: during the period of the US-SSR, the former USA can no longer be trusted to know who its allies are and who its adversaries are.
In the new world disorder created by the US-SSR, everything is upside down. America has decided to cast its lot with Russia, China, and even North Korea.
Its erstwhile European allies are quickly waking up to the fact that they’re on their own. The oftentimes discordant voices coming out of Brussels now need to find common ground on a far more serious issue: the threat posed by Russia no longer constrained by fear of a response from the former United States. The Europeans know they have to come together as they can no longer rely on Washington.
South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan should feel the same way. Reassurances from the Secretaries of Defense and State notwithstanding, these three loyal allies of the former United States must now accept the fact that they may wake up one day and find themselves the 2025 version of 1938 Poland – unless Ukraine beats them to the draw.
Imagine the President of the US-SSR crossing the DMZ to tell the leader of North Korea that he can do what he wants with South Korea – provided some business concessions are made in favor of the US-SSR. Impossible? Unlikely?
We in the Philippines need to do some rethinking ourselves. For the longest time, we have taken much comfort in being “America’s brown brother” in Asia, secure that Uncle Sam will come to our defense should someone have funny ideas about our territory and national integrity. Not that we haven’t had any examples of red flags before: when in the 1960s our relations with Malaysia were strained due to the Sabah issue, the UK as the former Malaysian colonial power was quick to announce its support for Malaysia, while the then-USA never reassured us it would honor our mutual defense pact.
That early, it was clear that the US-SSR could not be relied upon.
What more now when we have tensions with the world’s newest superpower, the largest one this side of our world? And one where Elon Musk has big business interests? How, then, can we expect the US-SSR to come to our defense if that may jeopardize the businesses of the most powerful man in Washington?
(Actually, I am not sure if Musk is the most powerful or the second most powerful; it all depends on how I rate the power and influence of Vladimir Putin!)
So yes, it is time that even we, the Philippines, reassess our Beijing ties. With such an unstable former ally in Washington, it is best that we carve out a modus vivendi with Beijing based on mutual respect of national sovereignty.
