Duterte says there are three million drug users in the Philippines. There are almost certainly many fewer than that.
Duterte has, among other things, mobilised nationalist antipathy against foreign interference to deflect criticism of his violent drug crackdown.
KING RODRIGUEZ / PPD / HANDOUT
Duterte used his “tough on crime” approach to win the election as a political outsider, promising to restore law and order with strongman rule. His approval rating has since soared to over 90%.
Filipinos protest after a huge bombing in Davao.
EPA/Eugenio Loreto
The foul-mouthed, tough-talking president of the Philippines is ironically a pragmatist on foreign policy.
Jennelyn Olaires cradles the body of her partner, who was killed on a street by a vigilante group in a spate of drug-related killings in the Philippines.
Reuters/Czar Dancel
President Duterte has picked fights with President Obama and with the EU. His behavior is shaking the U.S.-Philippine alliance and stability in Southeast Asia.
Insulting Barack Obama made the headlines, but Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks referred to a long and dark history of US interference in the Philippines.
Narendra Shresthma, Mast Irham/EPA
The people of the Philippines and their president know all too well the hypocrisy of being lectured by the United States about violence, human rights and democracy.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
Jorge Silva/Reuters
To understand Rodrigo Duterte’s rise to power and the public support for killing drug dealers and users, we need to distinguish the empirical from the normative – the ‘what is’ from ‘what should be’.
Filipino fishers in the South China Sea.
EPA/FRANCIS R. MALASIG
Feared and deplored for his slash-and-burn approach to criminal justice, Rodrigo Duterte has suddenly shown his conciliatory side.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer records 265 deaths of suspected criminals and drug users between June 30, the day Rodrigo Duterte assumed office, and July 18.
Reuters/Czar Dancel
China claims ownership of almost all of the South China Sea and refuses to abide by a recent ruling calling that hogwash. Why does China want to control the sea so badly?
The decision on China’s activities in the South China Sea undoubtedly represents a sweeping victory for the Philippines. It is, however, unenforceable.