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

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 15th Century 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 Tordesillas which 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

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

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

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 18 th to 20th Centuries has the definite advantage over newly-established empires of the modern era due 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

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

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 the Philippine 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

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 possible

disadvantage 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

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 weighed down 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

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

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.