Last year, the White House hosted a Filipino-organized labor leaders’ meeting emphasizing the importance of free labor and workers’ rights.
The administration of President Joseph Biden, who championed human rights, wanted the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) disbanded for abuses under the previous Philippine government.
It has aligned with the United Nations rapporteurs’ call to abolish NTF-ELCAC as a government tool to defeat the Maoist-led insurgency strategically.
The Philippines has struggled for over 50 years to end the protracted rebellion in poor but resource-rich rural areas.
The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and stunted economic growth in rural communities, mainly in the country’s mountainous eastern seaboard, often visited by destructive typhoons and rocked by powerful tremors.
The Supreme Court has already sanctioned one of NTF-ELCAC’s mouthpieces, Lorraine Badoy, who served as an official of Rodrigo Duterte’s communications machinery.
Washington can turn a blind eye to the worst human rights abuses, not only in the Philippines but in other parts of the world, like Vietnam and India.
The United States can sacrifice its sacred human rights principle to satisfy its national security interests.
In the face of escalating tension with Beijing, not just in the Indo-Pacific region, Washington needs countries like India, the Philippines, and Vietnam to contain China.
Other issues, like trade and investments, marred friendly and smoother relations between the United States and its allies and partners.
However, these would come next after its security interests. Apart from Russia, the United States has been worried about China’s rise and ambitions to become the world’s biggest economy and number one military power by 2049 or earlier.
2049 is the 100th anniversary of the rise of the Chinese Communist Party after a bloody civil war and the end of the Second World War.
The fear of China’s rise highlighted the inconsistencies in America’s foreign policy thrusts.
For instance, India is essential to the Quadrilateral Dialogue with Australia, Japan, and the United States.
Yet, Washington is unwilling to engage with India as an equal partner and is reluctant to stop dictating New Delhi on international issues.
The United States also wanted to control India’s economy, which had grown faster in the last few years.
Washington’s refusal to conclude a bilateral deal on free trade demonstrated its unwillingness to make concessions, like removing trade barriers in the framework of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for developing states.
The Philippines has been negotiating a free trade deal with the United States and renewing its special GSP privileges.
Last month, US trade representative Katherine Tai held talks with her Indian counterpart, but nothing was resolved.
Also, the United States has been blocking Narendra Modi’s signature “Made in India” program by its refusal to relocate assembly plants in Indian territory.
Together with some Western allies, the United States also used specific issues like religious and ethnic minorities to discredit India’s political systems, destabilizing New Delhi’s leadership.
The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have also interfered with India’s foreign policies, supporting anti-India separatists and accusing New Delhi officials of political assassinations.
Washington is driven by its policies to exact cooperation with New Delhi, strengthening security relations to contain China.
It has been pushing India to join Western allies in imposing sanctions against Russia over its conflict with Ukraine, a move that may run contrary to New Delhi’s interests.
India and Russia have been partners in developing advanced missile systems, which the Philippines was acquiring to enhance its area denial and anti-access (A2AD) capability.
Finally, Western states have increasingly appointed ethnic Hindus to positions of power and influence in their governments to widen their impact on India’s business and political elite and turn New Delhi into a more pro-Western state.
These foreign policy inconsistencies are not only happening in India but in almost all states around the world.
The United States has used these tactics to achieve its strategic security and economic interests and remain the world’s most dominant power.