Strategically located, the Philippine Islands have been one of the keys to American policy in the Pacific. But this loose island chain has a bitter history, vacillating between oppression and rebellion. America’s military installations here ensure that she will be caught in any Filipino conflict.

The World’s Political Hotspots Series explains the basis of conflicts in some of the world’s most politically sensitive areas. Many of these regions are in today’s headlines, and tensions recently have become violent in virtually all of them. Each presentation covers up to ten centuries of background, revealing how and why today’s problems occur.