‘The Punisher’ debuts in the global stage
The deadly bomb blast in Davao City last week that claimed the lives of at least 14 people and maimed scores of others is hardly the backdrop that President Rodrigo Duterte wants when he debuts in the international stage today in Vientiane, Laos for the 28th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 29th related summits; but one thing is sure: he will be closely observed as he meets with fellow Asian leaders all eager to hear “The Punisher” discuss common concerns pertaining to investments, trade and other bilateral issues. But more importantly, all eyes will be on the PH President as he engages global leaders, notably US President Barack Obama, who had earlier expressed concerns about human rights violations in the current administration’s brutal war against illegal drugs.
This is also Obama’s first visit to the Laotian capital, and global leaders are keen to watch if his visit, with only 5 months to go before he bows out of office, will impact on the so-called “Pivot to East Asia”.
The “Pivot to Asia” strategy emerged from an opinion written in October 2011 by then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is currently in the running for President under the Democratic Party. The US policy shift from European and Middle Eastern focus to the East Asia bloc is considered key to improving tense Sino-US relations, but Beijing perceives “pivot diplomacy” as a ploy to contain China’s efforts to assert its economic and military primacy in the region.
The East Asia bloc consists of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China plus Hong Kong, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand, North Korea, Palao, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailan, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam and the Philippines. The summit in Laos will gather East Asian bloc partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the US.
President Duterte looms large in the US pivot diplomacy because of his unorthodox style. He has threatened to cut off PH membership from the United Nations when the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights called him to task for law enforcement violations in the campaign against drugs. Digong also declined to meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on the sidelines of the Asian Summit citing conflict of schedules.
Stung by comments of Washington officials about detentions and extra-judicial killings in the current anti-drugs war, Duterte responded, in so many words, that the US is talking about a problem which it knows nothing about. The President is set to meet with Obama on the sidelines of the Summit.
In the wake of the deadly Davao blast, Duterte proclaimed a “state of lawless violence” and is poised to mobilize the military to help the civilian police restore peace and order. This is an unprecedented move and has made civil libertarians nervous, fearing a creeping totalitarian regime. Duterte dismissed such talks saying he needs to resort to extraordinary powers because we live in extraordinary times.
The perspective looks apt when we listen to President Duterte seemingly uneasy fitting into the role of the American champion in this part of the world. Because this is the first time a PH president refuses to play the orthodox hand, that of the US traditional ally in Asia, people are practically on the edge of their seats. As if to unnerve the US and titillate Russia, Duterte told news reporters last week he is excited to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin because they share common interests. He emphasized the remark with a wink.
Some quarters are also wondering if Digong will be his naughty self by lacing his first international exposure and comments with invectives.
Well, I hope and pray he keeps it all formal, dull and dreary because power is, in many ways, a game of appearances. When one says less than necessary, he inevitably appears greater and more powerful than he really is, that is according to “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene.
Chapter 4 tells of a story about Russia’s Czar Nicolas I set in 1825 amid a rebellion led by liberals “demanding that the country modernize and follow Europe’s example of opening its industries and civil structures.” As Nicolas went out to crush the uprising by sentencing one of its leaders, Kondraty Ryleyev, to death, the imperial leader is stopped by an “act of providence”.
“On the day of the execution, Ryleyev stood on the gallows, the noose around his neck. The trapdoor opened, but as Ryleyev dangled, the rope broke, dashing him to the ground. At the time, events like this were considered signs of providence or heavenly will, and a man saved from execution this way was usually pardoned.
“As Ryleyev got to his feet, bruised and dirtied but believing his neck was saved, he called out to the crowd: ‘You see, in Russia they don’t know how to do anything properly, not even how to make a rope!’”
Mad at the disappointing turn of events, Czar Nicolas poised to sign the pardon but asked the messenger who notified him about the news, “Did Ryleyev say anything about this miracle?”
The messenger replied, “Sire, he said that in Russia they don’t even know how to make a rope.”
“In that case, let us prove the contrary,” Nicolas said as he tore up the pardon.
The next day the rebel leader was hanged again and this time, the rope didn’t break.
The amoral book concludes, “By saying less than necessary, you create the appearance of meaning and power. The less you say, the less risk of saying something foolish, even dangerous.”
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