Philippine and U.S. Foreign Policy

The United States recently closed its Naval Base at Subic Bay in the Philippines and thus ended nearly a century of direct (and often military) involvement in the affairs of that country. Colonization of the Philippines began in 1898 as part of the Spanish-American War and extended into the 1930s. The actions of the United states in joining in a partnership with the people of the Philippines has been viewed differently by different commentators. This image of the relationship has changed over the decades since it began. At times, the people of the Philippines have been supportive of U.S. efforts toward the Philippines and at other times have been quite opposed to those efforts. American involvement in the Philippines has left a lasting impression on that nation, but that impression may have been less distinct than many people have believed. The people of the Philippines seem to have eagerly desired the involvement of the United States in the beginning and perhaps for most of the period of colonization. From a left perspective, U.S. involvement was a matter of imperialism in the Third World, and for this reason the U.S. had to be ejected if at all possible. The status quo perspective was that the U.S. should remain involved and that this was necessary for the protection of both U.S. interests and the interests of the Philippines.

In the last days of 1897, the U.S. and Spain had moved toward war over Cuba. At the time,

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ne Commission was appointed by President McKinley in 1899. The commission acknowledged Filipino aspirations for independence but declared that they were not ready for it. Specific recommendations were made, including the establishment of civilian government as rapidly as possible, the creation of autonomous governments on the provincial and municipal levels, and the organization of a system of free public elementary schools. A judicial system was established. elections were established for members of various boards and for leaders in the municipal regions. Bunge notes: "From the beginning, United States presidents and their representatives in the islands defined their colonial mission in terms of tutelage: a process of preparing the Philippines for eventual independence. Except for a small group of 'retentionists,' the issue was not whether they would be granted self-rule, but when and under what conditions" (27). William Howard Taft was the first civilian governor of the Philippines. The main features of his program included the broadening of representative institutions and also the expansion of a system of free public elementary education and economic policies designed to promote the development of the islands (26-28).

Category: Foreign - P