Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was among the “strongmen” featured in the cover of Time Magazine international edition.
Written by Ian Bremmer, the cover story features Duterte along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In the article, “Rise of the Strongman,” Duterte was described as “a former mayor who talked more like a mob boss than a President, on his promises to wipe out the drug trade with his own brand of justice.”
The article examined the rise of populism not only in the United States but all over the world.
“These tough-talking populists promise to protect ‘us’ from ‘them. Depending on who’s talking, ‘them’ can mean the corrupt elite or the grasping poor; foreigners or members of racial, ethnic or religious minorities,” the article reads.
“Or disloyal politicians, bureaucrats, bankers or judges. Or lying reporters. Out of this divide, a new archetype of leader has emerged.”
“We’re now in the strongman era,” the article concludes. /ee