Blog Post #1: Global Imperialism

A political cartoon depicting England's imperialistic nature.

The most pressing issue facing world politics today is global imperialism and the effects this long-lasting practice has had on less developed countries. The success of many of today's more developed nations has been built on the backs of developing countries. These countries continue to be taken advantage of, stifling their own development and perpetuating the issue of extreme poverty.

Take the Rwandan genocide for example. Back in 1916 when Belgium colonized the country, the two different ethnicities in Rwanda—the Tutsis and Hutus—had to carry identity cards, and Belgium gave preferential treatment to the Tutsis. Tensions between the two ethnicities increased and so when Belgium granted Rwanda independence in 1962, the Hutus took over and genocide ensued. Rwanda is still recovering from the genocide and is developmentally struggling to catch up with the rest of the world. Rwanda is ranked 158 of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), which is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and have a decent standard of living. This lack of development leads to lower levels of education, older technology, and a lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP), among other things. According to the World Bank, Rwanda's GDP in 2018 was $9,509.00 million USD, while Belgium's was much higher, at $531,766.94 million USD. This stark difference in GDP shows how Belgium benefited from having Rwanda as a colony and how hurt Rwanda became. This lack of development leads to greater possibility for extremist organizations to grow as they target and recruit from local populations, greatly threatening our global security. A lack of development leads to poverty, where individuals face hardships such as food insecurity, lack of clean water, and lack of a quality education. All of these issues create the possibility for health risks as well as a population more apt to violence and a weaker economy. Imperialism has certainly left its mark on the countless countries it has affected, and will continue to threaten the world if not properly addressed.

Imperialism is not currently being kept in check as we watch China infiltrate many vulnerable countries. In Africa, Chinese companies are making contracts with governments to help develop land, which seems like a noble cause at face value. When you dig a little deeper, you can see China's exploitation of African people and resources in the way they take their natural resources without transferring any skills to local populations. In Sri Lanka, a Chinese state-owned company made a deal with the government to help build a port in a very strategic location, giving the country a loan to help finance the project. However, China knew Sri Lanka wouldn't be able to afford the loan payments, so they gained control of the port and 15,000 acres of land around it for 99 years in December, when the payments couldn't be made anymore. This modern imperialism not only stifles the native Sri Lankan economy, but threatens their political sovereignty as it is kept in debt to China and feeds China's imperial ambitions.

If we allow countries like China to continue these actions and don't help the countries that have already been affected by them, then we will end up with an unbalanced world not living up to its full potential.