BEIJING _ He has compared himself to Hitler, called President Barack Obama a "son of a whore," and overseen a wave of extrajudicial violence that has left thousands of people dead.
Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' 71-year-old president _ a former city mayor with a level gaze and an aura of casual dishevelment _ passed his 100th day in office Saturday, and despite his profanity and repeated calls to violence, he is the country's most popular leader in recent memory.
Duterte's "war on drugs," the hallmark of his early tenure, has left about 3,600 suspected drug dealers and users dead _ an average of 36 people a day. Few, if any, perpetrators have been prosecuted.
To outsiders, Duterte is a puzzle _ ideologically liberal, but disdainful of human rights; politically gifted, but often seemingly unhinged. In late September, he said he wants to slaughter drug dealers like Hitler slaughtered Jews. The following week, he visited a synagogue to apologize for causing offense. Then, last week, he said Obama _ a persistent critic of his drug war _ could "go to hell," and vowed to deepen ties with China and Russia.
Here's a look at Duterte, and what makes him so popular.
