Tom Pepinsky is a professor of government and director of the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University. Pepinsky says the deal is a major development in U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.
Pepinsky says:
“The recent military agreement between the Biden and Marcos administrations, which establishes new military presence in the Philippine islands for the first time in three decades, is a major development in the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.
“It also has significant implications for Philippine politics, representing a return to closer government ties with a former colonial power and treaty ally.
“The administration of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. looks to establish itself as a reliable partner of the United States, representing a break from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte whose uneven political style and repressive domestic policies created significant headaches for U.S. foreign policy.”
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