FIRST IT WAS PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte who promised to break ties with the US and work with China and Russia (See Philippine President Tilts toward China and Russia).

Less than a week later Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak headed to China for a seven day visit ending November 6. As expected, on November 2, Najib joined the growing global chorus when he told the West to “‘stop lecturing’ as Malaysia embraces China”.

The week-long trip by Najib Razak marks another potential blow for Washington’s “pivot” toward Asia, two weeks after President Rodrigo Duterte of longtime US ally the Philippines used a visit to China to say it was “time to say goodbye to America”.

According to Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh.

“This is the new regional norm. Now China is implementing the power and the US is in retreat,” she said, adding Washington’s Asia pivot was “dead in the water”.

Najib is expected to sign at least ten trade agreements and a “significant defense deal” in a strategic shift  toward China. Chinese corporations are already involved in Malaysia; recently they negotiated  a $7 billion plan to develop a port in Malacca and are looking forward to building a high speed rail connecting Malaysia to the port city of Singapore.

Both the Philippines and Malaysia are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Formed in  1967 to facilitate cooperation and regional solidarity,  ASEAN consists of ten Southeast Asian Countries having a population of 625 million and a combined economic output of nearly three trillion dollars. Brimming with such potential, in 2015 they formed the Asian Economic Community (AEC)  to facilitate free movement of economic services, products, supplies and personnel across one of the world’s largest markets.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have already formed a new global economic cooperative referred to as BRICS. With a combined population of nearly 4 billion people (half of the entire global population), BRICS nations generate roughly 23% of the gross world product and boast a combined GDP of $37 trillion with over $4 trillion in foreign reserves.

President Duterte of the Philippines has already clearly articulated his nation’s shift toward China and Russia. Now the Prime Minister of Malaysia seems to be moving in the same direction, it is fairly certain that the move will in some way involve the entire BRICS bloc adding to its continued growth and international economic and political clout.

Clearly, the ASEAN region is poised to be an economic and political battle zone pitting Western liberalism led by the US and the UK against the emerging BRICS alliance led by Russia and China.

As early as 1997 Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad manifested disdain for foreign investors operating behind the liberal shibboleth of “free market self interest” whose wealth he said, “must come from impoverishing others, from taking what others have in order to enrich themselves. Their weapon is their wealth against the poverty of others.”[1]  He specifically pointed out leading liberal ideologue and ffinancier George Soros whom he said was

“..orchestrating Malaysia’s economic crisis—the PM announced to an assembled group of economists and bankers that “Mr. Soros’s ilk had to be stopped.”[2]

Realizing that the real source of a nation’s wealth is its natural resources and the human labor necessary to extract, transform, and improve them, the PM is opposed to easy money schemes, to usury, currency trading and the speculative derivative market. According to Mahathuir:

“I am saying that currency trading is unnecessary, unproductive and totally immoral. It should be stopped. It should be made illegal. We don’t need currency trading.”[3]

Quoting Pope Leo XIII, Mahathir said that “rapacious usury” is immoral. “It has precipitated economic decline and suffering throughout much of Asia and should be condemned.” [4]

In retaliation, Mr. Soros then called Mahathir a “menace to his own country.”[5]

Mahathir was ardently opposed to the IMF and allied International Banking System that instituted and then mandated neoliberal economic-political polices that drove third world nations around the world into economic and political dependency resulting in much of the unrest and animus toward the West being  experienced today.

The World Bank/IMF system is no longer the only player on the block.  Third world nations can now turn to BRICS and to other new financial institutions headed by China and Russia et al such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which are defending national sovereignty and national self determination and therefore offering grants and aid without political strings attached. Thus, it is not surprising that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib is opening his arms to the AIIB, which he sad represents anew beginning of

 “…peaceful dialogue, not foreign intervention in sovereign states”.

Indicating his displeasure with the IMF and World bank, Najib stated that

“Global institutions need to be inclusive of ‘countries that were given no say in the legal and security infrastructure that was set up by the victors of the Second World War.'”

It is hardly any wonder that third world nations fed up with ideological manipulation, paternalism, usury and financial exploitation are looking for alternatives and turning to Russia and China.

Western financial overlords are not going to take the ASEAN exit siting down. Already naval operations in the South Pacific are turning hot as the US has increased its naval presence and has proliferated military exercises while China protests the intrusion and is engages in joint naval operations and exercises with Russia. Western agents operating in the Philippines have apparently already swung into full gear facilitating protests against Duterte for his turn toward China.  The Philippines has become a hot-spot, a place where unrest is easily predictable despite the fact that Duterte has an 86% approval raring among Philippians.

Recognizing the trend and the destabilizing effect of foreign agents employed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in places if vital interest to US foreign policy. Mathew Maavak representing Risk Foresight at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) comments:

“NGOs and the West-friendly media constitute a major subsidiary of the global social revolutions enterprise. Together, they seek out, identify and amplify public discontent in nations not aligned to the United States.”

“To the agitprop entrepreneur, the returns on revolutionary investments are immense.”[6]

Tony Cartalucci writing for New Eastern Outlook, confirms the covert operations of foreign agents, operations which are no longer clandestine – everyone knows about them.:

“It is becoming clear that US influence – despite its “pivot toward Asia” – is waning across the Asia Pacific region. Washington has suffered geopolitical setbacks in virtually every nation in Asia Pacific, including those now led by regimes it has meticulously organized, funded, and backed for decades. It is also waning, however, among those nations considered long-time and crucial US allies”

“Asia has for decades been made to “cave” to Washington’s every whim. It should be no surprise that a newspaper founded by a former US intelligence officer and funded by the US State Department would exhibit in its editorial pages the same sort of shameless exceptionalism that the US itself exhibits upon the international stage.”

The United States must rethink its foreign policy and find the political strength to reign in Wall Street and bring rapacious usury under control before it finds the entire world turned against it. The signs of the times indicate a clear trend against liberalism in the guise of friendly liberty, equality and  fraternity. Equality went out with socialism, Liberty has reared her ugly head and everyone knows what a “fraternity is” and who it benefits. Amid a growing clamor for justice, morality and charity,  developing nations around the world are increasingly turning to Russia.  This is surprising only to those who lack a theopolitical perspective.  It is not surprising to those who expect an “Era of Peace” and know it is associated with the conversion of Russia.

Peace is coming with our cooperation or without. The United States needs leadership that will align it with Divine Providence and cease working against it.

________________________
NOTES

[1] Edward A. Gargan, (1997) “Premier of Malaysia Spars With Currency Dealer,” New York Times, September 22.

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid

[4] http://www.veteranstoday.com/2016/10/30/george-soros-wants-to-create-color-revolution-in-southeast-asia/#_ftn4

[5] Gargan, “Premier of Malaysia Spars With Currency Dealer,” NY Times, September 22, 1997.

[6] https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610281046843489-soros-wikileaks-malaysia-leak/

 

IN AN ABSOLUTELY SURPRISING MOVE REVERBERATING around the globe, Rodrigo Duterte recently elected president of the Philippines (May 9, 2016), and a leader who has an unusually high 85% approval rating, has announced his rejection of liberalism and his intention to newly align his country with China and Russia. On October 19, 2016 Duterte openly declared

1. “I will break up with America,” adding that he would rather “go to Russia and to China.”
2. “America has lost” and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin.” To tell him:
3. “There are three of us against the world, China, the Philippines and Russia.”
4. “In this venue, I announce my separation from the United States both in the military… but economics also.”

 

https://youtu.be/pObOVG2MPgc

Referring to the United States Duterte stated:

“Your stay in my country was for your own benefit” … “So time to say goodbye, my friend.”

“I will not go to America anymore. I will just be insulted there.”

Like other world leaders in Nigeria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, China and Russia et al, Duterte slammed the United States for the arrogance with which it imposes its unwanted liberal policies on sovereign nations around the globe as if it were the world’s moral police force.

Jonathan Kwitny authored a book entitled “Endless Enemies” in which he described the Philippines as “the Zaire of Asia,” a country in which the United States engaged in covert political activity to manipulate politics and the economy in its favor.

“Every anti-guerrilla campaign has been victorious, and every election, real or rigged, has produced the winner the US government desired.”

Manipulation such as this helps the outside observer to understand why Duterte recently told President Obama to “go to hell” and refereed to him as a “son of a whore”. In September 2016 Duterte stated that he was “about to cross the Rubicon” with the United States and announced his intention to distance himself from Washington and to turn the country toward China and Russia.

Despite all his rhetoric, Duterte plans to maintain relations with the West to benefit his country as much as possible.  According to Duterte’s Finance Secretary, Carlos Dominguez, and his Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, Ernesto Pernia:

“We will maintain relations with the West”…but we desire stronger integration with our neighbors. We share the culture and a better understanding with our region.”

Dominguez and Pernia indicated that the move is about improved business relationships and a desire for regional growth and integration. The Filipinos are also interested in Chinese capital investment and access to a regional  market of 1.8 billion people.The National Economic and Development Authority referred to Duterte’s actions as a move toward “economic regional re-balancing.”

Dominguez further explained that Duterte is not altering the country’s foreign policy but “recalibrating” it to open the country to Asian markets.

“The President has indicated to us that he’d like to strengthen and exploit opportunities…in countries other than our traditional trading partners.”

So after all the bluster and bravado, the statements by Duterte seem calculated to increase good relations with China in hopes of profiting the Philippines. During the state visit Dominguez signed several significant agreements with his new Chinese partners: two are Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on Financing Cooperation, and an Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation.

According to the ‘Manila Bulletin“, The first MOU, is with the Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM), which will permit EXIM to fund Filipino infrastructure, energy and agricultural projects.

The second MOU, was signed with Gao Hucheng, the Chinese Commerce Minister.  This MOU provides financial support to conduct feasibility studies for major infrastructure, agriculture and rural development projects. Dominguez and Gao also signed an Agreement for Economic and Technical Cooperation. According to this agreement, China will grant approximately $700 million for anti-drug efforts underway in the Philippines and to strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation between the two countries. In all, the Chinese government has made $6 billion dollars in development assistance available to the Philippines and another $3 billion dollars in credits from the Bank of China to boost infrastructure projects in the Philippines.

Interview with Phillipine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez

These business deals, seem to support Duterte’s political rhetoric. A warning flag has been raised that could point to significant changes in Filipino foreign policy. Duterte is in favor of new partnerships contrary to American wishes and also in favor of a new tranche of investments, which will presumably involve the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) rather than continue relationships with worn out international institutions such as the IMF and World Bank who have left a bad taste in the mouths of Third World political leaders.

Moreover, four days prior to his departure for Beijing, Duterte had an interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television during which he iterated his openness to joint military exercises with Russia and China and reiterated his intent to end war games with the United States.

Asked specifically  if he would consider joint military drills with China or Russia instead of the United States, Duterte stated:

“Yes, I will. I have given enough time for the Americans to play with the Filipino soldiers.”

Then, referring to joint military exercises with the US he stated:

“This will be the last. It has been programmed. I do not want my soldiers to be humiliated.”

Moreover, The Philippine leader has also manifested a keen interest in purchasing Russian weapons. According to the Washington Post, on October 5 Duterte addressed the White House and US State Department on the matter:

“Although it may sound shit to you, it is my sacred duty to keep the integrity of this republic and the people healthy…. “If you don’t want to sell arms, I’ll go to Russia. I sent the generals to Russia and Russia said ‘do not worry, we have everything you need, we’ll give it to you.’ And as for China, they said ‘just come over and sign and everything will be delivered’,” Duterte previously stated that he wanted “cheaper weapons with no strings attached.”

All this comes at a time when Japan is openly planning a Peace Treaty with Russia.  On Dec 3, Japanese Prime Minister Abe will meet with President Putin. According to STRATFOR (October 20, 2016):

“Both leaders see opportunity in cooperation; Russia, rich with energy but starved of foreign investment, is an ideal partner for Japan, hungry as it is for energy with money to burn. Trade between the two countries has quadrupled since 2006, reaching a record-high $34.8 billion in 2013.

 

“Russia has completed the infrastructure needed to handle 2.1 million barrels per day — nearly half of Russia’s overall oil export level of 4.8 million barrels per day. Of the 716,000 barrels per day that Russia exported in 2012, only 141,000 went to Japan — though now Russia has the capacity to send much more.

Russia is also looking to export natural gas to Asia as well.

Russian natural gas company Gazprom has announced it will build a 2,500-kilometer (1,553-mile) pipeline to the Pacific for the new natural gas supplies that it says will be online by 2016. Russia is now considering a liquefied natural gas facility at Vladivostok to handle part of the 25 billion-50 billion cubic meters that Gazprom plans to produce out of East Siberia. East Asia already receives small amounts of natural gas from Russia’s Sakhalin-2 project. Japan has increased its intake of Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas in recent years to 10 billion cubic meters annually compared to the 3 billion cubic meters it received before the Fukushima disaster.

The United States is not happy about these developments nor is it happy about the meeting between Putin and Abe that took place earlier this year in May.

“The (Japanese) prime minister has been bucking Washington’s pressure over Russia all year. U.S. President Barack Obama warned Abe not to visit Russia for a summit with Putin in May, but he did anyway” (STRATFOR October 20, 2016).

It seems that more and more people are bucking Washington these days. Deals such as these spell the political and economic death of liberalism in the South Pacific and Asia.

Our Lady promised an Era of Peace and She is keeping Her word. Liberalism, in the name of peace, is the world’s largest promoter of violence and war – so it has to become a thing of the past. Consequently we are witnessing its death around the globe in places such as the Philippines, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Nigeria while simultaneously witnessing the promised conversion of Russia.