it costs a lot to support an MEDCJizzMan wrote:slightly off-topic, but I was wondering: would you say the current occupations and conflicts you see in the Middle East as like a modern day version of colonialism? because it all does seem like nations trying to acquire more power for an empire-like status, using religion as an excuse... which is pretty much what a lot of traditional colonialism was based on with the power of the Church, wasnt it?
it costs a hell of a lot more to support the largest MEDC in the world
supporting a way of life so economically expensive is not an easy job, its not just about colonialism, its that its impossible to support a nation that size that spends more than 50% of the global expenditure on arms, on its own military then you start seeing how its a necessity for them to control entire regions, entire economies
oil for example, isn't so all the oil in the middle east can be shipped back to america, its been discussed on here numerous times how america gets its oil domestically and from south america. Its so they can control where the oil goes generally, oil powers nations economies, and the price of oil controls how much money a country can make, and how much influence it can exert.
it is colonialism but in a different way than british colonialism which was imperialistic, about conquering and wiping out indigenous society and replacing it with our own. its colonialism designed to install institutions of control.

