POLITICAL norms may be crumbling all around the world, but citing Adolf Hitler as an inspiration remains a no-no almost everywhere. That did not stop Rodrigo Duterte, the outspoken president of the Philippines, who declared in September that he wanted to do to Filipino drug addicts what Hitler had done to Jews.
So far, Mr Duterte’s drug war has seen more than 7,000 drug suspects killed by police, vigilantes and rivals (the three categories overlap). Most Filipinos are enthusiastic, albeit nervous for their safety; many foreigners are appalled. Love it or hate it, the campaign has totally overshadowed Mr Duterte’s eight months in office. Yet Filipinos elected Mr Duterte not just for his “Duterte Harry” approach to crime, but because of a much broader pledge to upend the status quo by elbowing aside entrenched elites, reducing yawning inequality and repairing crumbling infrastructure. In addition to its terrible cost in lives, Mr Duterte’s anti-drugs crusade risks becoming a distraction from the many more constructive items on his agenda.
The most important measure Mr Duterte’s administration has so far presented to Congress, where...Continue reading
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