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The South China / West Philippine Sea remains one of the most volatile flash-points in contemporary international relations, where overlapping territorial claims intersect with vital economic lifelines. China’s expansive “nine-dash line” assertion, invalidated by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in favor of the Philippines, has fueled escalatory gray-zone tactics, such as ramming incidents, water cannon assaults, and boarding operations, which test the boundaries of armed conflict.
November 17, 2025 Robert T. Wagner
FRESH ARTICLES WEEKLY – READ OUR LATEST POST
Robert T. Wagner
The potential extradition of Apollo Quiboloy tests US-Philippine relations, balancing justice, political sensitivities, and regional diplomacy. Will this move strengthen the alliance—or provoke lasting backlash?
Robert T. Wagner
What if the Philippines had been retained as a US Territory? This alternate history imagines the country under continued American stewardship, resulting in far better political stability, much less corruption, and economic equitability that would allow all ships to float atop a rising tide.
Robert T. Wagner
What if the United States hadn’t defeated Japan in World War II? This counterfactual deep-dive explores an alternate 2025 Philippines under prolonged Japanese control—an authoritarian client state marked by economic stagnation, cultural suppression, and geopolitical subservience to Tokyo.
Robert T. Wagner
China’s emerging “Rat People” youth movement and plummeting birth rates threaten to derail President Xi Jinping’s economic and geopolitical ambitions. This article explores how social disillusionment, gender resistance, and an aging population are creating a demographic time bomb.
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BLURB
OF THE
WEEK
The Manila Times Columnist Ben Kritz and Gonzalo Varela, lead economist and program leader of the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Practice Group for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, discuss the state of the Philippine economy.