European historians, with their own sense of bias, which on occasions reaches its zenith, to convert into prejudice, (there is no such thing as honest historians, they are all different shades of white and black, and more of grey) unanimously declare in their recordings that the 15th century was the “Age of Discovery”.
As a student of history, I would prefer coining it as the era of initiating colonialism. Portugal was one of first European countries to venture out of its borders in search of “civilisations”. This was done with conviction that the rest of others, besides their own selves, needed to be civilised. How noble was the thought. But how ignoble were the real intentions. Prince Henry, The Navigator (he lived between 1394-1460), initiated the age of discovery. The first assault was on Africa, followed quickly with attack on Asia. The sea routes around the Horn of Africa and around the Cape of Good Hope were used. The other sea route between the period, 1488-1492, led them to discover America.
Upon landing, the noble intentions turned into ugly human ambition of enslaving the discovered specie, along with the rich resources these places were naturally endowed with. These colonialists were not mere plunderers and looters of the local wealth, but were also social psychopaths.
The determined purpose was to subjugate the local populations, with the goal to alter the local political and legal system and framework; the singular objective was to destruct existing norms, and replace them with their dominance. The aim to create economic bondage and dependence was successfully achieved through amending the political setup.
Most colonial powers thought (nay, they still think) they could teach nations on how to live. Recently, this learning was delivered to the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and today, now and here, it is being administered with great military onslaught to the Ukranians. The players and locations have changed but not the original thought: teach and how to live. In doing so, the colonial masters stole, the resources of the colonies. They continue to do so. The domination wasn’t restricted to economic resources, it was inclusive of bringing around social and cultural changes.
The imperialists powers exploited the people of these colonies. Freedom of humanity was replaced with trading in humans - haven’t we all read Uncle Tom’s Cabin!
The British Empire has been historically the largest exploiter of humanity. At one time, over a quarter of the Earth, with 24% of the then population of the world was under British rule. This fact was arrogantly coined in a phrase that said, ‘the Sun never sets in the British Empire’. The Spanish were no less in their quest for ruling and stealing resources of their colonies. The Philippines was under the Spanish rule for 333 years; it is a scientific wonder that the Filipinos managed to maintain their beautiful unique features. This hapless nation rose to fall into the hands to the Americans, who ruled till 1898; thence the Japanese invaded and controlled until Gen. MacArthur arrived in 1945.
King Leopold II of Belgium set sights on Africa, and occupied Zaire, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, etc. Be it Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy or Belgium, none missed the opportunity to be colonial masters. China was split up between Britain, France, Germany, Japan, etc. Post-WW-II, the USSR subjugated the Comecon countries of Eastern Europe. Colonialism in one form or the other has continued.
The Sub-Continent gained independence in 1947, only politically the mindset still is immersed in colonial practices. It remains in subjugation and is fully enslaved. Feudalism, which is existent in Pakistan, is an extension of the imperialist mindset. Colonialism hasn’t ended.
Sir Thomas Roe was sent by the court of James I as an emissary to seek trading opportunities to our innocent Mughal Emperor Jehangir. It is said in history, his father, Jalaluddin Akbar, had planned a project, which never saw the light of the day. It also codenamed ‘Civilise India’s European immigrants’, whom he referred to as assemblage of savages. This was in direct contrast to colonial powers who believed they could teach nations on how to live. This visit led to the creation of East India Company (EIC). Edmund Burke called it, ‘a state in the guise of a merchant’. The gradual and persistent transition of the subcontinent into being a colony had begun.
The progress of EIC and its eventual capture of the powerhouse Mughal capital city of Delhi is best described in William Dalrymple’s book, The Anarchy. He writes, “In many ways, the East India Company was a model of commercial efficiency: one hundred years into its history, it had only thirtyfive permanent employees in its head office. Nevertheless, that skeleton staff executed a corporate coup unparalleled in history: the military conquest, subjugation and plunder of vast tracts of Southern Asia. It almost certainly remains the supreme act of corporate violence in world history”.
Only Tipu Sultan gave hell to the company despite the presence of Mir Sadiq. Once Tipu was martyred, Lord Wellesley is reported to have toasted, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, I drink to the corpse of India’. Men, less by nature, but more out of behaviour remind their own specie that they still are the naked ape. The subcontinent stood colonialised. In a letter to the Editor section of a newspaper, Leo Tolstoy, wrote, “A commercial company enslaved a nation comprising two hundred million people” (14th Dec, 1908). Imperial plunder.
Free nations of today are actually economic colonial outposts at best. The developed world considers itself as the arbiter of human rights and democracy. In the process, they take it as a given right to dictate and interfere. Contrastingly, the free world supports all the despots and theocratic monarchs, and yet they clamour for democratic rights. Double speak.
Any country that dares not to fall in line is dealt with economic sanctions. If any commit the crime of choosing an independent economic and foreign policy, they face exclusion. Subservience to economic imperialism is a prerequisite to be counted as a democratic and free nation.
Economics is today the most powerful tool of foreign policy initiatives; those nations who dare, say foolishly, are destroyed economically. It is through financial invasion that the fate and future of a nation is decided or sealed. One global power has the unique distinction of over 83 interventions in about three decades or so. The US in Latin America has done 60 military interventions.
The sole objective of economic colonialism is still the centuries old, access to resources. A lot is done under the guise of free enterprise and upholding of human rights. How many people have been killed in the last hundred years in the name of democracy and freedom of speech? The financial weaponry is targeted to extract resources and to have control over their supply and price. Mass suffering is unleashed by way of economic sanctions.
China learnt it very quickly that to have a voice they have to be strong economically. Today it is the factory of the world, laden with trillions of foreign exchange reserves. Yet it has to tread carefully in world affairs. Economic strength gives moral power too. The pragmatic leadership of China uses both with fair balance.
The pandemic proved the validity of the Persian idiom that ‘a single death should be mourned, but a few hundreds, it is celebration time’. Mourning has its limitations. How difficult it is for economically poorer countries when they are called upon to choose whether to administer oxygen to patients or provide for formula milk for the infants. The economies of the under-developed world are designed to represent the war between masses and classes. The yawning gap between haves and the have-nots only widens each day. The haves, usually, are the facilitators of economic enslavement. The speeches of (un)popular politicians about hunger and poverty constitute expedient duplicity; they joke to put caviar in the meals of the poor.
The influence of corporates and financial institutions today is no less or different from the colonial mindset. The visit of the chief of any multi- lateral financial institution is in no way different from the visit of Sir Thomas Roe; the only change is the armoury is not of sulphur, but of hard currency. The word “dictate”, used by colonial masters, is now replaced with “negotiate”; with zero alteration to the spirit of dominance.
This scribe is forced by decency not to name the many corporate warlords or corporate feudals, who meet the rulers of developing countries and “negotiate” terms and conditions to engage economically. This is financial and economic subjugation.
Most politicians of the developing world seek to curry favour with the multilateral financial institutions, just as the nobles of Delhi, Calcutta and Seringapatam, courted with the company (EIC) officials - no difference at all.
The weapons of Mass propaganda are put to effective use, thwarting any attempt to remove the smokescreen. Corporate violence (a coinage borrowed from William Dalrymple) is predominant today, globally. At the receiving end of this violence are many countries, including our beloved Pakistan.
The economic fetters and shackles can only be broken through honest, competent and farsighted leaders. Any takers, here?
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
The writer is a senior banker & freelance contributor
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