“A second Trump presidency would jeopardize the momentum achieved in the renewal of U.S.-Philippine relations, given that the Trump administration has not paid enough attention to building partnerships with like-minded countries in Asia,” said Aries A. Arugay, head of the political science department at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
But Bilahari Kausikan, a former senior diplomat from Singapore, cautioned against equating American values with Asian ones.
“Our relationship with the United States is based more on shared interests than shared values,” he said. “Those in Europe and in the United States who are unhappy with the prospect of Trump, or who think that Trump does not share their values, we do not share those values at all, at least not all of them.”
Trump’s defeat comes as India concludes a 44-day election season. Opposition politician Manoj Jha said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is running for a third term, has adopted some of the same tactics as Trump, “demonizing a section of his own people.”
“They use fear to gain profit,” Mr Jia said.
At least when it comes to prosecuting former leaders, the rest of the world is far ahead of the United States. South Korea, which has turned jailing fallen leaders into a national movement, has had four former presidents convicted of corruption and abuse of power. Former French presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac were both convicted of corruption.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma was indicted on charges including money laundering. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to years in prison for corruption after leading Brazil. His conviction was eventually overturned. He once again served as that country’s president.
Camille Elemia, Choi Sang-hoon, Motoko Richie, Alexandra Stevenson, Huang Ruili and Samir Yasir Contributed reporting.
