Daily Times

The world is divided into the North and South and the North has built and progressed because of the colonization of man and material of the South. This signifies colonialism as a dominating force primarily benefitting European countries like England, France, Spain, and many others. The American countries are another addition to modern colonialism of the same sort. While colonialism has been acquiring new faces like Neo-colonialism, and postcolonialism, the latest one is Globalization. Globalization was originally an economic effort to provide equal chances of business and trade with freedom to almost every nation. But globalization at large has resulted in the domination of a few Western nations to control the whole mechanism in the same way as it used to during colonialism. Globalization has resulted in cheaper products from countries with more affordable human capital, but, the Western capitalists have reaped the real benefit while the indigenous people have lived in the same poverty. The primary tool of globalization is the control exercised through the US currency Dollar, which again is the instrument of power. The result is that the nation which was poorer during colonialism is still more impoverished unless they change their policies and manage to control their resources themselves.

This is stressing itself now more than ever because the nations are now, on the other hand, well connected and well informed because of the access to information through the Internet. The old tactics also, on the other hand, are renewed to exercise hegemonic control with the aid of modern technology. Many multinational organizations are in a business that is sporadically studying every country of the world, and yet where is the profit going; again, to their headquarters based in the formerly colonized countries. Globalization of economics, business, and production, though shifted temporarily towards the previously occupied lands, yet being part of the hegemonic system, deprives people experiencing poverty of the control of technology. Take the example of a financial tool like the IMF, which can invest money at a massive level in any third-world country and ostensibly improve the condition of the people of that country and supposedly bring prosperity with it. But most countries that utilize its plans will either be bankrupt or be paying huge instalments at the cost of the well-being of their people. The Improvement of Life slogan again reverberates the colonial saying that the Whiteman was carrying the burden of civilizing the people of the third world.

A new struggle is emerging now as the new colonial man, in terms of Edward Said, is adamant about securing his survival rights and living in the world.

So, globalization is just a replacement for the colonial mindset and arrangement. The tools, however, are revolutionized and propagate the message of bringing prosperity and happiness even more vigorously. The results are again similar. Take the example of parts manufacturing of the gigantic tech and motor companies of the world, where they provide meagre employment and taxes to the host countries and earn such a massive amount of money that the wealth of just one person may be more than the wealth the total annual budget of the third world counties. This negates the equal opportunities to earn wealth and equivalent provision of socio-political rights to all in the world.

This has awakened a new type of clash and strife among the people, which is less about race and culture and more about controlling wealth. Consequently, it has provided the impetus to the age-old north-south divide of the world. A new struggle is emerging now that the new colonial man, in terms of Edward Said, is adamant about securing his survival rights and living in the world. He is bent upon migrating to the greener pasture, proving himself a source of material benefits to his people in his country and his loyalty. Therefore, he is inclined towards his people and is enjoying the opportunity in the developed world to restore his share of the profit. This has further made people think it is legitimate to do subversive activities to claim their rights to wealth, opportunity, and resources.

After fighting many global wars and imposing colonialist imperialism upon the world’s people, we have reaped hatred and strife. Humanity suffered, and hundreds of thousands were butchered to give control of resources to a few hands. Organizations like the Commonwealth and globalization were meant to end the misery of wars, hunger, and pollution. Still, the imperialist mindset has converted even these useful things into new forms of colonialism. It has done its best to replace the colonial air and given the same job to globalization. So, the time is ripe now to reap the original benefits of globalization and share the dividends with the world instead of concentrating the resources in the hands of a few nations. This is the only way to engage in a healthy dialogue to germinate love and mitigate the people’s sufferings because of wars, hatred, racialism, tech divide, and imperialistic attitude.

The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson University, Multan. He can be reached at zeadogar @hotmail.com and Tweets at @Profzee