The Trump-Duterte Bromance, and the Ghastly Realities of Wars on Drugs

This is the thing about living in an era defined by a president who treats the world like a show he’s producing, rather than a fragile thing for which he bears a fearsome responsibility. You can’t stage the fictions of your imagination in the real world without exacting terrible costs, even if other people end up paying them. Rodrigo Duterte isn’t an action hero; he’s a monster. And whether Trump understands it or not, his actions could make him one, too.