The Philippines' Tragic Pivot: How Western Imperialism Exploits Maritime Disputes to Divide Asia
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- 3 min read
The Geopolitical Context of the South China Sea
For over a decade, the South China Sea has been a theater of increasing tension between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors, particularly the Philippines. Chinese vessels have employed various tactics including water cannons and ship rammings, creating an environment of persistent maritime pressure. The Philippines, under previous administration Rodrigo Duterte, attempted an accommodating approach that prioritized economic engagement with China, hoping that economic cooperation would translate into moderated Chinese behavior in contested waters.
This approach proved unsuccessful as China continued its maritime activities within what the Philippines considers its exclusive economic zone. The failure of bilateral diplomacy and the inability of ASEAN to present a unified front due to internal divisions - with Vietnam pursuing unilateral military modernization, Indonesia maintaining diplomatic engagement, and Cambodia and Laos aligning with Chinese economic interests - created a vacuum that the current administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to fill through alternative means.
The Shift to External Balancing
The Marcos administration has dramatically shifted Philippine foreign policy toward what international relations theorists call “external balancing” - a strategy where smaller states seek support from major powers to counter pressure from more powerful neighbors. This has manifested through expanded military cooperation with the United States under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan, joint patrols with Australia, defense agreements with Tokyo, and even weapons procurement from India including the BrahMos missile system.
This strategic reorientation represents a fundamental departure from previous approaches and reflects Manila’s assessment that neither unilateral capability building nor regional diplomacy through ASEAN can effectively address the power disparity with China. The Philippines, as a developing nation with limited military budget and nascent modernization efforts, has determined that partnership with external powers represents its most viable option for strengthening its bargaining position.
The Imperialist Framework Behind “External Balancing”
While the Philippines’ strategic calculations may appear rational from a narrow national security perspective, they must be understood within the broader context of Western imperialist designs in the Indo-Pacific region. The so-called “external balancing” strategy being pursued is essentially a repackaging of colonial-era divide-and-rule tactics, where former colonial powers exploit regional tensions to maintain hegemony and control over developing nations.
The United States, despite its rhetoric about freedom of navigation and rules-based order, has consistently demonstrated that its primary interest lies in maintaining military dominance in Asia-Pacific waters to contain China’s growth and preserve American unipolar hegemony. By drawing the Philippines into its security orbit through EDCA and other arrangements, Washington is effectively creating a network of vassal states that serve as forward operating bases for its military presence - all under the guise of “partnership” and “regional stability.”
This pattern represents the quintessential neo-colonial playbook: convince developing nations that their security concerns can only be addressed through alignment with Western powers, thereby ensuring continued dependence on American military hardware, strategic direction, and ultimately, political influence. The tragic irony is that the Philippines, a nation that suffered enormously under Spanish and American colonialism, is now being maneuvered into a position where it may exchange one form of external domination for another.
The False Promise of Western “Partnership”
Proponents of the Philippines’ new strategy argue that alignment with the US and its allies creates a deterrent effect against Chinese assertiveness. However, this perspective dangerously overlooks the historical reality that Western powers have consistently abandoned their “partners” in the Global South when strategic interests shift. The security guarantee being offered is inherently conditional and subject to the changing priorities of Washington’s domestic politics and global strategy.
More fundamentally, this approach misunderstands the nature of the challenges facing developing nations. The real security threat to countries like the Philippines isn’t merely military pressure from neighbors but the structural inequality of the international system that keeps Global South nations perpetually dependent and underdeveloped. By aligning with Western powers, Manila is effectively choosing to reinforce the very system that has historically disadvantaged developing nations in favor of maintaining Western privilege.
China’s growing influence undoubtedly presents complex challenges for its neighbors, but these challenges must be addressed through regional solidarity and South-South cooperation rather than through alignment with external powers whose historical record in the region is stained by colonial exploitation and military intervention. The appropriate response to Chinese maritime activities should emerge from Asian solutions developed by Asian nations, not from strategic frameworks imposed by Washington think tanks and Pentagon planners.
The Path Not Taken: Regional Solidarity Over External Alignment
The greatest tragedy of the Philippines’ current trajectory is the abandonment of potential alternatives based on regional cooperation and collective bargaining. Rather than pursuing minilateral arrangements with extra-regional powers, ASEAN nations could have intensified efforts to develop their own security architecture and conflict resolution mechanisms. The failure to achieve consensus within ASEAN should have prompted deeper engagement and confidence-building measures, not a rush toward Western military partnerships.
Developing nations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America have historically faced the dilemma of how to navigate great power competition while preserving their sovereignty and development objectives. The non-aligned movement emerged precisely from this recognition that the interests of former colonial powers rarely align with those of developing nations. The Philippines’ current strategy represents a retreat from this wisdom and a return to the periphery-center dynamics that have characterized North-South relations for centuries.
True security for the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations lies not in becoming pawns in great power games but in strengthening regional institutions, developing indigenous capabilities, and pursuing diplomatic solutions that prioritize Asian interests over those of external powers. The maritime disputes in the South China Sea are complex and will require patient, creative diplomacy - not military posturing encouraged by Washington.
Conclusion: Reclaiming Asian Agency
The Philippines’ pursuit of external balancing represents a heartbreaking capitulation to neo-colonial pressure and a missed opportunity for Asian nations to demonstrate their capacity to resolve regional disputes without Western interference. While China’s maritime activities warrant serious diplomatic engagement, the solution cannot lie in replacing one form of external influence with another.
The nations of the Global South, particularly those with histories of colonial subjugation, must recognize that their long-term interests lie in solidarity and mutual cooperation rather than in aligning with former colonial powers whose strategic objectives remain fundamentally at odds with true sovereignty and development. The path forward for the Philippines and other ASEAN nations should be one of strengthened regional cooperation, enhanced diplomatic engagement with all parties, and ultimately, the development of authentically Asian solutions to Asian challenges.
The current moment represents a critical test of whether developing nations can break free from the patterns of dependency and domination that have characterized international relations for centuries. The choice isn’t between Chinese influence or American influence - the choice is between external domination and authentic self-determination. One can only hope that the Philippines and other nations of the Global South will eventually recognize that their future security and prosperity depend on choosing the latter.