أفريقيــــا و«الاستعمار الجديد»...!

It is well-known that "power" and the law of the jungle govern international relations, from the emergence of states until now. The disparity in the level of power between states affects (positively and negatively) their relationships with one another. Among the phenomena resulting from the disparity in the strength of states is "colonialism," which means: a relatively stronger state taking control of and exploiting a region or a "state" that is weaker (relatively) than it, whether through direct military occupation or political occupation (indirect colonialism/new colonialism). This phenomenon is as old as humanity and states themselves, although its forms and methods have varied over time. However, in the modern and contemporary era, colonialism has been associated with the movement of European and Western ambitions and expansion into the developing world (the Global South). Since the beginning of the 17th century, Europeans began to colonize—by armed force—numerous vast areas in the developing world, subjecting them (directly) to their rule, with the aim of exploiting the resources of these various regions for the benefit of the Western colonizer.

The circumstances of World War II and the establishment of the United Nations, with its charter calling—for among other things—the liquidation of colonialism and the guarantee of "the right to self-determination and human rights" for the peoples of the world, led to the official cessation of this colonial movement... This resulted in, and was a response to, the rejection and condemnation of colonialism, a major movement to dismantle this colonialism, which relied on direct military occupation of certain states and countries, ruling them (directly) for the benefit of the colonizer (with a broken second 'm'), which is now referred to in the literature of international relations as "old colonialism."

Thus, the era of old colonialism has passed, and the "new world order" began with "interdependence," the interconnected interests of the world's states, and recently "globalization." However, since the 1960s, a different kind of colonialism has emerged... known as "new colonialism"... which has become an extension of its predecessor, "old colonialism." In fact, it has been established that new colonialism is much harsher and worse than its predecessor, for those it affects.

New colonialism (Neocolonialism), or imperialism (as some refer to it), is defined as: the control of a relatively stronger state over a country and its people, subjecting the resources of that country to the will of foreign powers and exploiting its various potentials for the benefit of the dominant state. Some writers see "imperialism" as a form of indirect colonialism... or a milder, semi-hidden form of colonialism... because "imperialism" essentially means imposing political dominance, along with the ensuing economic and social control. The most prominent "champions" of new colonialism today include: the United States, Britain, France, Belgium, Australia, and the Netherlands.

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The existence of stronger and weaker states does not necessarily lead to the emergence of "imperialism" (colonialism)... unless the stronger state seeks to control other countries and establish "master-servant" relationships with them—if it does not encounter significant resistance. Achieving this colonial desire becomes difficult when there is effective (national) resistance, and easier if such resistance does not exist, or if there is collusion between the colonizers and some influential local powers. As is well known, there are "criteria" used to classify the world's states based on the level of "power" any state has on the international stage, the most important of which are: elements of hard power plus elements of soft power. Based on this, the world's states are divided into seven types, in descending order: superpower, major power, large power, medium power, small power, minor power, and microstate. There is no doubt that the "influence" of a superpower (for example) in international relations (and its ability to achieve its foreign policy goals, consequently) is greater than the influence and capability of a major power, and the influence of a "major" power is greater than that of a "large" power, and so on.

In terms of the extent of "control" the relatively stronger state has over the relatively weaker states, this "control" varies from case to case, depending on several factors, the most important of which are: the extent of the political system's resistance to foreign dominance, and the awareness of the concerned peoples and their commitment to their rights. There are several situations in this regard, ranging from alliance to complete subjugation.

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The most important factor driving any state to practice "imperialism" is its (relative) ability to dominate others (its power). Often, the primary goal of colonizers is distinctly economic, represented in the economic objective: obtaining wealth and natural resources, and raw materials—at the lowest possible cost. Opening new markets to dispose of its goods and services, and weapons. There are, of course, political, social, and security objectives that are not hidden from observers.

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Old colonialism contributed to building some elements of infrastructure in its former colonies. It also inadvertently spread many positive principles and ideas... such as: the awareness of the necessity of growth and development, the imperative of focusing on health and education, and the need for good organization and governance within a constructive legal framework, among others. These ideas and principles represent the aspirations of all the peoples of the world, especially in the developing world.

However, this positivity is almost negligible compared to the enormous negatives that resulted from colonialism, both types (new and old), especially for developing countries. Colonialism takes from these countries many times what it may give them. Moreover, new colonialism often tries to avoid spreading the positive principles that would elevate the colonizers' status or strengthen their position against the invaders and dominators. The examples of this are too numerous to count.

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The world is currently witnessing the strong presence of new colonialism in Africa and some parts of Asia. In fact, Africa remains the continent most suffering from military coups, some of which pave the way for colonialism, while others resist it. Since the independence of its 53 "independent" countries in the 1960s, there have been around 200 military coups. There are "officially independent" countries, but most of their decisions are not in their hands, but in the hands of the dominant power, whether through military coup or otherwise.

I wanted to write an article about the current military coups in Africa, and I found myself addressing the phenomenon of "new colonialism," which is currently its main arena. It is well-known that new colonialism often comes through military coups, although some of these coups actually erupted—originally—against this colonialism, as we will clarify in a forthcoming article.