Throughout his terms of office — as mayor of Davao City, the Philippines’ third largest urban center, and as president of the country — Rodrigo Duterte waged an unrelenting war against drugs.
He fought with disregard for law and human rights, at times even delighting in his own lawlessness. Thousands died during that brutal campaign.
His immunity to the consequences of that disdain ended this week when Duterte was arrested on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of extrajudicial killings and crimes against humanity and extradited to The Hague for trial. That development is being viewed mostly through the lens of Philippine domestic politics when in fact it is an important moment in international law.
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