WHILE DOZENS of world leaders have come to Washington to meet President Bush, only three have been accorded all the ruffles and flourishes of an official state visit–Mexico’s Vicente Fox, Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland, and, just last week, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines. Besides the fact that Bush much prefers informal gatherings, there is no doubt the president chooses his distinguished guests purposefully. On the South Lawn last Monday, following a 21-gun salute, Bush spoke of “an alliance that remains strong, an alliance that is essential to the peace of the Pacific.” He invoked the memory of Bataan and Corregidor where “our soldiers fought and died together,” as Filipino veterans, now in their 80s, waved flags and cheered. By the end of the visit (following an elaborate state dinner), Arroyo walked away with three major victories in hand.
First, the White House agreed to a $100 million military aid package, expected to consist of materiel for counterterrorist operations, including helicopters and night vision goggles. Second, during the joint press conference, Bush announced that the Philippines will be designated a “major non-NATO ally” on a par with Australia, Israel, and Egypt. This will allow even closer military collaboration, giving Manila “greater access to American defense equipment and supplies,” said the president. Finally, the two countries agreed to resume the so-called Balikatan (“shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog) exercises on the southern island of Mindanao, involving, according to some estimates, as many as 1,800 U.S. troops.
It is this last arrangement that has proven to be most contentious, since the Philippine constitution does not permit foreign troops to fight on its soil. But Bush has been careful to point out that Marines and Special Forces will be serving as trainers and instructors to the country’s armed forces, who’ve been in a protracted struggle with Muslim separatists who want to create a radical Islamic republic in the south.
The main group in Manila’s crosshairs is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which in recent months has led a bombing campaign that has left more than 200 people dead. Arroyo has issued an ultimatum to the group, saying they have until June 1 to reach a negotiated peace or else. There are strong indications that the guerrillas prefer “or else,” and that a war will ensue that could prove costly to the government–hence the need for a U.S. presence.
The upcoming “training exercise” is thus, from Washington’s point of view, yet another front in the war on terror. The main question is how closely the Muslim rebels there are tied to al Qaeda’s international conspiracy. According to Paul Burton, an editor at Jane’s Information Group and expert on Southeast Asia, “the chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Hashim Salamat, studied in Cairo and Saudi Arabia. Upon returning to the Philippines, he became a religious leader. Several of his cadres trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1980s. And a number of secret rebel camps have played host to members of Jemaah Islamiyah,” the notorious Indonesian-based terrorist network that killed more than 200 people in the Bali nightclub bombings.
Over the last 10 years, the Philippines became a popular destination for a number of Middle Eastern terrorists, including Ramzi Yousef, a plotter in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, al Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and Muhammad Jamal Khalifa, a key backer of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim terror group in the Philippines responsible for the murders of three Americans. Khalifa is a brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden.
“There is no doubt that Southeast Asia will be the new haven for terrorists,” suggests a senior State Department official who asked to remain anonymous. “There are all sorts of connections, especially with Libya.” Burton agrees: “Libya has been essential in funding the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In August 2001, Tripoli even held talks with the group and pledged economic aid, ostensibly for roads and mosques.” There were also links between Abu Sayyaf and Saddam Hussein’s regime. Husham Hussein, an Iraqi diplomat, was recently expelled from the Philippines after the Manila government claimed he had been in contact with an Abu Sayyaf rebel. The group claimed to have been receiving $20,000 a year from Iraq.
The Bush administration recognizes that because of these connections, the Philippines is an important ally in fighting terrorism. Filipinos in large part welcome the presence of U.S. forces, with a few reservations. “Balikatan strengthens that bond for the two governments and brings much needed training for the Philippine military to defend the country against terrorism,” says Amina Rasul, an ex-cabinet member and adviser to former president Fidel Ramos. Rasul stresses that U.S. involvement in actual combat must not happen for constitutional reasons and that Americans shouldn’t want it to happen. “As some leaders in government move to have the Moro Islamic Liberation Front declared a terrorist organization, the United States would be embroiled in the ethnic conflict between Muslim insurgents and the government.” She is right about the dangers in taking on the rebels directly. Although Abu Sayyaf numbers less than 500, there are more than 12,000 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Arroyo was one of the first leaders to call Bush after September 11 and one of the few in Asia who supported the war in Iraq. The White House is well aware of this. Though she isn’t seeking reelection, Arroyo hopes to lay a foundation for further cooperation. “I hope ever more countries join this partnership” against terror, she said during the state dinner. “Two are better than one. Three are harder to break. Four and more–nothing can prevail against them.” Bush looked on approvingly.
Victorino Matus is an assistant managing editor at The Weekly Standard.
