Reconnecting ties between nations
There had been a strained relationship between the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and former President Barrack Obama. At one point President Duterte was asked how he would react if President Obama raised human rights issues against him and he was quoted to replying "son of a w****." This he later apologized for with his aides saying it was more a passionate response than a personal attack on Obama. He is although also quoted to saying "Instead of helping us, the first to criticize is this State Department, so you can go to hell, Mr.
Obama you can go to hell." He also wanted to stop joint military training with the U.S troops and strengthen ties with Russia and China.
This tension was there mainly because President Duterte is under criticism over his methods of dealing with a drug crisis in his country. The former City Mayor in three months after taking office had about 3,000 suspected drug dealers and pushers dead alarming the United Nations, European Union, U.S and human rights watchdogs.
However the tide seems to be changing now as some people compare the personalities of president Trump and President Duterte and they seem to have a lot in common, not only on speaking their mind first, without looking at how the statements can be actualised and also their fist first approach to perceived dangers to their respective countries.
Visits to the White House and to the Philippines
President Trump and President Duterte had a seemingly friendly and progressive phone call last Saturday. The white house corresponding team stated that they discussed the Philippines hard stand towards the war against drugs. He seems not to have mentioned the human's rights stand on his approach, as there are reports of people having no connection to drugs also dying in the Philippines fight against drugs.
With the number of total deaths in the drug war having reached over 7,000.
President Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella confirmed the invitation stating that President Trump has expressed his understanding and appreciation of the challenges facing the Philippine president especially on the matter of drugs. President Trump is supposed to visit the Philippines in November to attend the East Asia Summit and the U.S Asian Summit.
The President also invited President Duterte to the White House to discuss the importance of the United States-Philippines alliance.
A Filipino lawyer last week filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing President Duterte and 11 other Philippine officials of mass murder and crimes against humanity, in a 77-page complaint.
Trumps relations with other world leaders
Last week President Trump called to congratulate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, for his victory in a disputed referendum that strengthened his autocratic rule. Then having lavishly praised President Xi Jinping recently for cooperation in pressuring North Korea despite the fact that President Xi has shown an increasingly repressive streak in his country.
Not forgetting Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who seized power in a military coup and President Trump has spoken openly about supporting him, and also his campaign promise of changing the relations with Russia's President Vladimir V. Putin
It seems like Trump is working on creating alliances with many countries, maybe in a show of strength against a common threat North Korea. Whatever he's goals are, one thing is for sure his agenda is winning a strong diverse team to his cause.
