Us-Philippines Cooperation on Terrorism: the Fight Against
U.S.-PHILIPPINES COOPERATION ON TERRORISM: THE FIGHT AGAINST THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP SINCE 9/11 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies And of The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies By Carla P. Rivera, B.A. Georgetown University Washington, D.C. May 1, 2012 U.S. – PHILIPPINE COOPERATION ON TERRORISM: THE FIGHT AGAINST THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP SINCE 9/11 Carla P. Rivera, B.A. Mentor: Pamela Sodhy, Ph.D. ABSTRACT The September 11, 2001 attacks marked a pivotal point in the U.S.-Philippine relationship in that it reinvigorated the bilateral relationship, which had become distant after the closing of the U.S. bases in the Philippines in 1992. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo immediately pledged the Philippines’ support for President George W. Bush’s global war on terror, and offered the U.S. the use of military bases in the Philippines. In turn, President Bush supported Arroyo’s struggle with terrorism in the Philippines by providing military training, equipment, and financial assistance. With this help from the U.S., the Philippines was able to more effectively combat the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), an organization that has been terrorizing the Philippines since 1991 with its kidnapping of hostages, ransom demands, and some beheadings of its prisoners. The aim of this thesis is to trace the United States-Philippine response to the threat posed by the ASG. The scope of this thesis spans the period from 2001 to 2012, which covers both terms of the Bush Administration and the first three years of the Barack H.
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