NATO Association of Canada Praises NATO's Designs for the Philippines
In November 2021, an article entitled "NATO and the Philippines: The First Step to a Strategic Partnership" was published by the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC). The Association was founded in 1996 and self-describes as "a Non-Governmental Organization" which aims to "promote knowledge and understanding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Canada. It strives to educate and engage Canadians about NATO and its goals to promote international peace, prosperity and security."
According to the article, "President Duterte's new reorientation strategy is good news for the U.S. and NATO, as it is the exact opposite of his previous claims in 2016, where he discussed a want to embrace alliances with Russia and China."
The article further states: "Since President Duterte has announced his intentions to reorient back to alliances with the U.S. and western allies, NATO should examine the possibility of enhancing relations with the Philippines. The NATO 2030 global approach[1] currently focuses on developing relations with four key partners in the Indo-Pacific: Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. The new Philippines pivot is a good starting point for NATO to begin looking towards the Philippines as a strategic partner for its global approach."
The article points out that the U.S. considers the Philippines to be a "Major Non-NATO ally," giving it "a designation that includes a status of military and economic privilege." The people of the Philippines have been resisting U.S. imperialist domination and exploitation for more than 120 years and are not about to accept such “privileges” that further U.S. interests at their expense.
The article emphasizes: "However, the Philippine Constitution requires President Duterte to step down in June 2022, when his term will come to an end. Keeping the Philippines in the strategic loop of the western alliances is more important now than ever, and NATO can help bolster this relationship."
The article ends by stating: "A strategy that welcomes the Philippines as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific can only help enhance the Indo-Pacific relations that NATO has already established. There is a pocket of opportunity presented when looking at the Philippines and their strategy to pivot back to the United States [...] Promoting a partnership with the Philippines now is crucial to avoiding a pro-China Philippines in the future."
Thus it can be seen that for NATO the Philippines and its people are nothing more than pawns in the drive for U.S. hegemony in the Asia Pacific Region. The Filipino people are seasoned fighters against U.S. imperialism and U.S./NATO schemes to corral them into the U.S./NATO camp and to use them as cannon fodder in a battle against China will not succeed.
Note
1. NATO 2030 is "an ambitious agenda to make sure NATO remains ready, strong and united for a new era of increased global competition. NATO Leaders asked Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at their meeting in London in December 2019 to lead a forward- looking reflection to make NATO stronger and fit for the future." (Source: NATO)
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 4 - April 3, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2022/Articles/M5200412.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca