ASSESSMENTS

The Philippines Doesn't Want the U.S., but It May Need It

Aug 10, 2017 | 09:30 GMT

Washington has been providing military support in Marawi City since at least mid-June.

(TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

If Washington conducts anti-terrorism drone strikes in Marawi City it would be a marked expansion of U.S. military involvement in the country.
Even so, the Philippines will be able to maintain the relationship it has been fostering with China.
Securing the Philippine maritime periphery is still very much an imperative for the Duterte administration, but that can't be done until the country gets its internal affairs in order — and Manila needs Washington to achieve that order.

A fierce battle has been raging in Marawi City since late May when Islamic State-aligned militants began occupying the Philippine municipality. Since then, President Rodrigo Duterte has been grasping for anything to help him win back his city. U.S. military personnel have been on the ground in Marawi since at least mid-June, assisting with intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Now, unconfirmed reports say that assistance could be expanded to include U.S. drone strikes. Details are scant, and Philippine defense officials have denied the reports -- saying there is no need for the expansion and that such a shift in strategy would require presidential approval anyway....

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