Podcast: Justice Antonio Carpio on the South China Sea and Limits of Presidential Power in the Philippines

Justice Antonio Carpio of the Supreme Court of the Philippines sits down with AMTI director Gregory Poling to discuss constitutional requirements for any joint fisheries or oil and gas deal in the South China Sea,  as well as the limits of President Rodrigo Duterte’s power to change treaty commitments.  

Of Claims and Freedoms: Diverging Perspectives on the South China Sea

Power differentials between states affect how they view and respond to the South China Sea disputes. Small powers largely see them as a clash of unilateral territorial and maritime claims over all or part of the semi-enclosed sea, whereas big powers frame them in a more strategic manner – a contest for control over a critical international waterway. Small powers focus on immediate and direct concerns like resource access, whereas big powers stress universal freedoms of navigation and overflight. Lumping claims and freedoms together muddles and complicates the resolution of South China Sea disputes. Disaggregating them, however, may allow for opportunities to tackle part of the dispute separately.

Podcast: Decoding Duterte’s First 100 Days

As President Rodrigo Duterte completes his first 100 days as leader of the Philippines, the former mayor has caused ripples by questioning the foundation of the alliance between the U.S. and its former colony. He's known as a "colorful" character, so should we take his comments, and those of his cabinet, at face value? AMTI Director Gregory Poling weighs in, in conversation with Colm Quinn.