Calm Seas:

I trust you are an American. Hence, I shall accept the fact that at times, you tend to be too forward in your speech.

The dynamics of Philippine nationalism begins with the opening of the Suez Canal, when inhabitants of the Spanish colony began to identify themselves as Fillipinos.

The US came in at the close of the 19th century--at a time when the first nationalist revolution in Asia and the last of the Hispanic revolutions was taking place in the Philippines.

That explains the love-hate relationship between the Philippines and the US.

Yes, the Philippines asked for US $1.2 billion. That's true.

But the US negotiators' handling of the bases issue showed how insensitive they were. And that's why a lot of Filipino senators remembered how the US backed the Marcos dictatorship until the end.

And that's why also , the anti-bases vote got through.

Moreover, a case can be made, the Philippines really did the US a big favor.

It was the end of the cold war, remember. Amercian bean counters would have started to view Subic and Clark as costly white elephants in need of major downsizing--at the very least.

That may have been financially rational. But for the US to have said it was getting out of the Philippines for reasons of money would have been a big political disaster for it.

I suggest that Americans by and large learn to be more sensitive to the aspirations of possible allies. Failure to do so would lead to disasters in the Long War.

Having said that, I am happy that Filipino-American relations are on the mend anew.