Already in his short time in office,
Duterte has rattled U.S.-Philippine relations much more rapidly and thoroughly than even many American officials expected.
In addition to the tirades—including personally insulting Obama and the U.S. ambassador to Manila before a gathering of Southeast Asian and foreign leaders in Vientiane, Laos, last month—Duterte surprised many Philippine and U.S. officials in the past two weeks with a series of statements about U.S.-Philippine military cooperation. During a visit to Vietnam last week, Duterte declared that this week’s joint military exercises with the U.S. would be the last ones held under his administration. Duterte had previously called for all remaining U.S. Special Forces operating in the southern Philippines to leave the archipelago.