Discuss the claim that imperialism is an enduring feature of international relations

Résumé du document

The very concept of imperialism is dynamic, fluid, and the complexity of the notion of imperialism allows for the possibility to give multiple definitions, various accounts for it. This essay will examine major aspects and theories accounting for imperialism and the remnants of the phenomenon in contemporary International Relations, and position on this respect will partially be in accord with Marxist discussions according to which imperialism today and economic dependence of former colonies is alleged to result from the material needs of capitalism. The political and strategic aspects of imperialism will also be covered, with an examination of the ideological and hierarchical contents within the notion, as well as the evolution of dominance through culture and ideas, or cultural imperialism, and its developments in the international arena. Some of the potential forms of imperialism may in practice be much more prevalent than others, the problematique thus being to determine which forces are most prevalent, and which ones are the most potent, leading to the persistence of imperialistic forms and the emergence of such concepts as neo-imperialism.
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Extraits

[...] Therefore, it appears that imperialism is still alive in the modern world and manifests itself through a variety of aspects, from economics to ideology and culture. Although it is impossible to account for various forms of imperialism within a single analytical framework as there is no common taproot to the concept, this conclusion argues that imperialism in our era leads to a process whereby agents of an expanding society –with particular values, ideology and culture- gain influence over the vitals of weaker societies, with the object to shape them in its own interest. [...]

[...] Ridley, Images of Imperial Rule, p.55 Studies in the theory of Imperialism, Edited by Roger Owen and Bob Sutcliffe, p.146. Studies in the theory of Imperialism, p.203. Michael Doyle, Empires, p.89. C. Tiffin and A. Lawson, De-scribing Empire Post-colonialism and textuality, p.9. [...]

[...] It appears that every claim to cultural dominance on behalf of the coloniser was also an assertion of cultural lack of the colonised. Thus, the discourse of colonisation was based upon an inherent notion of the West cultural superiority; this can lead to the conclusion that today, Western cultures and their value systems are more privileged than others, as the historical circumstance of colonialism enabled them to impose their values on the colonized people. These factors have to be added to the globalisation phenomenon that has become one of the paramount features of the current international system; indeed, the increasing impact of globalisation processes, that of the homogenisation of the world according to Western liberal principles, have raised important questions about differentiation of global cultural development, as well as claims that the United States exerts cultural imperialism through its cultural exports to the rest of the world. [...]

[...] However, it is interesting to note that interests in theories of imperialism persisted after the dismantling of the old imperial structures, with an examination of the features of the post-colonial experience and the persistence of imperialist forms in the modern world. In that respect, the Marxist theories of imperialism have been particularly prominent, in that the critics of capitalism shifted emphasis form straightforward political relationships to more subtle economic forces. Indeed, Marxist type of theories on imperialism tend to concentrate on economic considerations and put into light that all the imperialist powers shared a capitalist form of organization. [...]

[...] The significance of these theories further lies in their description of economic imperialism as a feature that has developed with colonialism and has firmly established itself to persist as a feature of International Relations. Indeed, in contemporary International Relations, economic imperialism implies a degree of dependence of former colonies on Western Liberal Capitalist powers, leading to the concept of neo-imperialism. This notion implies that the workings of the international capitalist economy intensifies the conditions of dependence; in concrete terms, corporations and governments use trade investment to subordinate the development of former colonies and make them so dependent economically that their relatively newly won sovereignty remains more illusion than reality. [...]