Term Paper Geopol

8/2/2019 Term Paper Geopol

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ADAMSON UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

EXPLOITATION COLONIALISM:

The Resurgence of the Colonialist Ideology

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in Geopolitics

Submitted By:

PENEYRA, VINCENT G.AB POLITICAL SCIENCE

MWF 1:00-2:00 PM

Submitted To:

Prof. Don Emmanuel Nolasco

Submitted on:

March 23, 2012


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I. INTRODUCTION

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term colonialism refers

to the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another

country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Colonialism

has been a key component in establishing a strong and formidable empire during

the early 15thCentury where the term world only referred to civilized nations in

the European continent. As history dictates us, the commencement of Modern

colonialism had started with the domination race between the mentioned

prevalent European empires. The importance of colonial expansion at this early

stage could be manifested by the Popes intervention through the issuance of the

Papal bull entitled Inter caetera and the issuance of the Treaty of Tordesillaswhich divides the world into two and gives all colonial rights to Spain west of the

line while Portugal has been vested the rights to colonization in all areas east of

the demarcation line. And we all could recall, this empire expansion had lead to

the Spanish colonization of the Philippine Archipelago. Indeed the Age of

Discovery had paved way for the expansion of other European empires such as

the Germans, Russians, Dutch, and the British Empires and even empires

outside of the European Continent which includes the American and Japanese

Empires.

Primarily, the main purpose of early colonization is mainly for discovery of

new parcel of lands outside the known world. For people in the known world to

find out what lies outside their comfort zone. On the other hand, colonization

processes that had occurred before or during World War II primarily intends to

set up tactical bases in the most strategic places to assure military supremacy

and domination. Only a couple of empires have exercised colonialism with the

primary purpose of economic abundance and to secure important raw materials

that is essential for the further growth of their empires industrialization and

development.

Yes, the physical concept of the colonialism ideology has long been

eradicated from society with the sudden rise of Neocolonialism which some


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scholars refer to as indirect colonialism with emphasis only on economic

affiliations. In this paper, I will try to discuss the possibility of the revivification of

the colonialism ideology in the modern era. With the rapid depletion of some vital

resources in the highly developed and powerful nations of the planet, it is could

be considered that the return of such ideology and practice is inevitable and

could already be seen at present. Specifically, I would like to foresee the rebirth

of colonialism with primary emphasis towards Exploitation Colonialism which

throws out of the window other types of colonialism and such as surrogate,

shelter, and plantation, and primarily focuses on the exploitation of the raw

materials and resources of a colony for the direct benefit of the colony or the

empire.

As we go through with this hypothesis, we would enumerate the different

powerful nations of todays free world that are viable to engage yet again in this

process. We would also enumerate the viable nations that will be most

vulnerable once powerful nations have started to invade other countries and

forcibly take possession of important raw materials for their own benefit. Most

importantly, we would be able to discuss the possible means for a colonizer to be

successful enough in colonizing a nation and how these countries could in effect,

defend their homeland from invasion. And finally, the positive and negative

effects that this ideological resurrection would bring once it have been fully

realized.

II. CONTENT

A. NEOCOLONIALISM VS. EXPLOTATION COLONIALISM

First, we must first distinguish these two different views in practicing

colonialism. Neocolonialism, as termed by the Merriam Webster dictionary is

the economic and political policies by which a great power indirectly

maintains or extends its influence over other areas or people. Neocolonialist

ideology is widely being practiced all over the planet by the interference of


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developed nations (Japan, United States, Britain etc.) predominantly to the

economic and political affairs of different developing countries such as the

Philippines. Neocolonialist nations initiate this type of colonialism by means of

different foreign policies and mutual agreements that seems to be

advantageous for the developing nation but is actually for the primary benefit

of the developed country. This practice was widely used by the British Empire

in different countries in the South American continent and was coined as

Free Trade Imperialism. On the other hand, Exploitation Colonialism is the

practice of an empire or a developed nation in conquering a less-developed

or developing state for the primary purpose of exploiting the raw materials

and services to support the development and growth of the empire. This is the

theoretical perspective that would be broadened in this Term Paper, The

viable return and dominance of Colonialism with prior emphasis to

Exploitation Colonialism and not by mere strengthening of Neocolonialism

principles and ideologies.

B. THE NEED FOR EXPLOITATION COLONIALISM IN THE 21st

CENTURY

With the rapid rate of industrialization being undertaken by almost all

nations in the planet, there are enough clear bases that valuable and vital

resources needed for the continuation of the said developments will run out at

an alarming rate. When this happens, theoretically, a viable solution would be

the possible restoration of the Colonialist practices for powerful nations to

take possession of fundamental resource from developing nations. Developed

nations would be forced to engage in armed struggle for them to capture

valuable resources and services essential for the survival and functioning of

their respective empires. The colonization process would eliminate blockades

dominant countries face in their exploitation of resources of their inferior

allies. With the re-implementation of the said ideology, the colonizers would

have a direct link or access towards those resources without any obstructions

unlike the present situation where a foreign country needs to abide the laws


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of the countries who are the source of those vital resources. It would be the

realization of full exploitation of resources need for the expansion and

maintenance of re-emerged and emerging empires.

C. THE POSSIBLE COLONIZERS

If the said scenario will be realized, we would see the return of former

European, North American, and Asian colonizers in their quest to clench other

less-powerful nations for them to get a hold on raw materials and services

that had became scarce due to the rapid degradation of the environment.

Such empires that would arise are the likes of The United States of America,

Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, The Peoples Republic of China, and

the Japanese Empire. We could very well also see the rise to power of

different nations around the planet that had made and impact when it comes

to military strength and economic supremacy such as Israel, The United Arab

Emirates, Singapore, North and South Korea, Brazil, etc. These powerful

nations, who had exhibited superior military abilities and economic

abundance could easily suppress or conquer inferior nations through armed

conflict. The former empires who flourished during the 18th to 20th Centuries

has the definite advantage over newly-established empires of the modern eradue to the fact that these empires has the prior knowledge and experience on

how to successfully colonize a much weaker nation through the use of

different tricks and military power.

D. THE POSIBLE COLONIES

With the return and outright domination of the colonizers in the world

stage, less-developed or developing countries could very well be the subject

for probable colonization. But not all third-world nations could be subjected to

possible invasion by powerful nations. Only developing nations who have

immeasurable amounts of raw materials and resources are probable

candidates for colonization for them to amass their resources for their own

advantage. Many viable candidates for colonization are concentrated all


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throughout the Asian Continent and the South American continent. Many of

the nations situated in these regions are basins of different natural resources

that had remained either partly or completely untouched due to the fact that

their governments does not have enough capabilities such as lack of funding

to harvest these resources. In Asia, the oil producing nations would be a

feasible target since oil/petroleum is the most sought-after natural resource

that is essential to keep the economy and the entire nation moving towards

productivity, growth, and development. In another aspect, other nations in

Asia could possibly be a target for invasion due to their possession of

abundant raw materials and resources such as the Philippines, Laos,

Vietnam, Thailand and others. This scenario is also applicable to South

American nations such as Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, etc. The

aforementioned nations hold vast quantities of resources that the future

colonizers would eventually need to sustain the domination and existence of

their respective countries or empires. Also, some parts of the African

continent can be considered as a viable target.

E. KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

Just like the past colonization campaigns that had occurred throughout the

course of history, armed struggle has been and will always be the main

avenue towards a successful colonization campaign. As we could recall, The

Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors utilized advanced (during that era)

weapons made of metal against the natives own artillery that is composed of

hand carved weapons made primarily of stone and other indigenous

materials. It could be noted that the time it takes to travel during the 15 th

Century could take months even years just to reach your destination. In

comparison, during the present era, the travel time from Madrid to Manila only

takes a couple of hours to a whole day. Contingency or back-ups, if needed,

would never arrive on time. In this situation, winning is critical for the survival

as well as the expansion of the Empire. It was quite upgraded during the


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colonial expansion that had occurred before and during the Second World

War. With the use of relatively much advanced technology in the platforms of

transportation and firearms, colonization became even more destructive that

claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals. If it was going to re

occur during the dawn of modern technological advancement, Aside from

means of transportation and efficiency and firepower, the Colonizers air force

power would become one of the key factors in colonization through armed

struggle. It would be an additional asset to a colonizer to bombard his target

in any way possible to assure easy and swift victory. Additional technological

advancement in weaponry such as the development of new breed of

weaponry such as nuclear-based ones is also helpful and essential towards a

successful campaign. The armies of the projected colonizers will be put to the

real test to see if the tremendous spending has done anything towards

modernization, efficiency, and power of every single portion of their armed

forces especially of the United States army (43%), Chinese army (7.3%),

United Kingdoms Royal Armed Forces (7.3%), Russian Army (3.6%), and of

the French Armed Forces (3.6%) since they comprises the bulk of the Global

Distribution of Military Expenditure (2010).

In dealing with possible success in capturing colonies, colonizers could

also weigh in the possibility of re-colonization rather than invading other

countries of no historical relationship. This process is feasible especially to

those nations, who have kept a strong bond and cooperation, whether

political or economical, with their former colonizer/s. A very clear example is

The Republic of the Philippines and the United States. After the United States

government finally relieved the Philippines from their clasps and granted its

long-awaited independence, the Philippines, particularly pertaining to thePhilippine Government have kept a close affiliation with the United States

government as an economic and political guide. Until today, this close

affiliation is still present with the United States even controlling or dictating the

movement of the Philippine economy and the government as well. If the age

of colonialism will be revived, with outmost emphasis in the exploitation of


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resources, the Philippines would be the number one candidate in becoming a

colony of the United States of America.

Finally, another possible method that I would like to propose in assuring

victory towards colonization is what I like to call as Cooperative

Colonization. This term would connote an ambiance of cooperation or

partnership between two or more colonizers who will jointly colonize a much

more inferior nation with the same objective of Exploitation Colonization. This

mutual invasion has a number of benefits for the participating powers. First

and foremost, the cost of engaging into a colonial invasion would be split into

two or more depending on the number of states that will participate in the said

colonization thereby reducing costs by as much as 50%. Another benefit is

that less manpower would be needed since every partner would contribute or

sacrifice the same amount or percentage of soldiers and artillery. Lastly, the

conjoined force would erect a much powerful force especially if cooperating

nations practices different methods and principles with regards to warfare and

colonization. Exercise of these different methods would definitely inflict

destruction and would immediately pronounce victory. Conventionally, a

situation bearing numerous advantages and benefits also entails the

possibility of having some disadvantages and losses. A possibledisadvantage in the adoption of this method is that rights over resources once

the subject nation has been colonized would be divided among participating

nations. Instead of a winner-takes-all scenario, the countries are forced to

divide supervision and exploitation equally. But if countries weigh-in the

situation, this key concept is a beneficial tool for a guaranteed success

towards colonization with the primary intention of exploitation of essential

resources.

F. COUNTERMEASURES

Now that we have already enumerated ways on how a probable colonizer

can successfully colonize an inferior nation, I think that is only befitting to

analyze the different countermeasures that a nation under threat of invasion


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could do in order to preserve their liberty from external sovereignty and more

importantly, to protect their resources from exploitation by other more

powerful nations.

I do believe that the first step to be undertaken during this delicate

situation under an era of uncertainty and conflict is to establish diplomatic

solutions or compromises to avoid armed conflict which would only result in

destruction of property and loss of life. Making compromises should be the

number one step in handling the said scenario and should never provoke the

other in declaring war. Many armed struggles have been averted due to the

observance of diplomatic methods and compromises.

In case peaceful diplomatic measures did not work, this should be the only

time that both parties especially of the inferior nation should consider the

occurrence of war between them. If and only if the government of that country

that is under threat of colonization thinks that they have a fighting chance

then that is the only time that the inferior nation wage war against the

probable colonizer. The country must be sure that they possess enough

manpower and artillery to engage into an armed struggle in order to protect

their freedom against external control and to ensure the preservation of vital

resources that the colonizers are after. Pros and Cons should be weigheddown carefully since besides property and resources, human lives are also at

stake.

If the nation subject for invasion thinks that they would not survive the said

armed struggle or too many lives and properties would be lost, a possible

solution for this dilemma is similar with the last possible method for success

of colonization but in this certain situation, cooperation comes to the aid of the

nation under threat for the prevention of colonization. What I am trying t

emphasize is the dissemination and application of Mutual Defense Treaties

for different nations especially to those countries who doesnt have enough

capability to defend their own territories from external threat of attack. Under

this principle, which is presently being implemented by some nations

including the United States and the Philippines, a weaker nation would align


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itself with a dominant one to provide protection from colonizers. But this

protection would come at a cost. If an inferior nation aligned itself with a

probable colonizer, given the scenario, the colonizer would demand unlimited

access for resources which initiates the principle of indirect colonialism but

is guaranteed protection from outside interference. One positive aspect of this

principle is that no life or property would be damaged since protection from

the colonizer persists. But the negative aspect of this is the interference of the

colonizer with the different aspects of the nation such as its political and

economic activities.

Another probable cooperation under the Mutual Defense Treaties is the

alignment of developing nations with also developing nations. Under this

combination, collaboration between only two nations will be of no effect when

it comes to full protection. The most feasible combination is that between

more than two target states to ensure security from probable colonizers. In

the application of this combination, I for one believe that collaborations such

as the latter would ensure that defense is the only benefit and purpose of the

said cooperation. No deceptions that would lead to indirect colonialism would

occur since collaborating nations possesses almost the same amount of vital

and essential resources being chased by probable colonizers.

III. CONCLUSION

Some empirical evidences of the resurrection of the colonialist ideology

could now be seen in the present era. Powerful and influential nations are now

engaging themselves in war, directly or indirectly, against nations in the Middle

East supposedly identified as wars against terrorism or restoration or introduction

of prevailing democratic ideologies with the real purpose of controlling its vast

supply of oil essential in many economic activities of a country. This possible

occurrence could lead in a larger movement towards invasion since prices of

petroleum keeps on rising almost every single week and this affects a ton of vital

operations not just of the economy but almost all aspects of living. In the given


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scenario, although what is being practiced is mere Neocolonialism, we could

already see the severity of the situation if direct colonization would be applied. In

accordance with the analysis, the greatest effect that the revival of the colonialist

ideology would be the occurrence of widespread violence and military supremacy

that would threaten not only property and resources those colonizers will try to

acquire but also of the human race.

Hostilities will be engaged at every possible angle once the principle of

colonization has been fully revived. A tremendous amount of pressure will be

placed upon the shoulders of the colonizers. They will have to race against time

to ensure total control and domination of the country against two possible

outcomes if this is not achieved. First, the possible defeat of the colonizer if the

process of invasion will be prolonged. This process is very feasible if the nation

to be invaded has a prevailing defense agreement with other nations whether

superior or inferior especially if the colonizer is acting alone under its own military

strength. Another possible outcome could be the immersion of other colonial

powers to the ongoing process of invasion of another. This should be prevented

at all costs since if this occurs, the colonizer who was the first to engage an

invasion will have to fight two or more different foes. It will be a major set-back

towards colonization since a colonizer will be forced to wage war against another

colonizer especially if the other colonizer is far more superior to the other.

Once realized, the rejuvenation of the colonialist ideology would implicate

even more damage towards human beings and property because of the recent

development and advances in modernized weaponry which upgraded its capacity

in implicating damages. The development and improvement of nuclear and aerial

artillery will not only guarantee destruction and damage towards a helpless

nation but will also ensure the firm grasp of the colonizer towards the nations

resources. Either way, whether through diplomacy or through violence, it will

ensure a subordination of a nation to a much powerful one with the primary

purpose of exploiting natural resources and raw materials for their own political

and economical advantage.

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Term Paper Geopol