Linkages Between Economic and Military Imperialism

Isaac Christiansen

doi:10.13169/worlrevipoliecon.11.3.0337

Abstract

Much has been written both about economic and military manifestations of empire, but there are fewer examinations of how the two are interconnected. This article explores five forms of linking motivations by which economic imperialism escalates into military interventions: resource covetous, enterprise-specific, system protective, empire share, and military-industrialist linkages. The first three types describe how imperial relations between empires and client states may lead military interventions in the latter by the former to ensure control of critical resources, corporate dominance of a client state's land or industry, or to safeguard global capitalism itself. Empire share linkages are reflected when conflict among imperialist countries themselves develops into wars among core countries, while military-industrial linkages are when the interests of the arms and related industries themselves become a motivation for military interventions. These connections are not mutually exclusive, and each may be manifested to a lesser or greater degree in various imperialist interventions simultaneously.

Highlights

I seek to contribute to the discussion by classifying potential connections between economic and military aspects of empire
This article begins with a brief review of the economic impetus for imperialism and some of its salient characteristics, including the astronomical levels of global inequality, followed by a brief discussion of within-core country class dynamics, an exploration of five different types of linkages between the economic and military manifestations of imperialism, and closes with a discussion of socialist internationalism as an alternative to modern imperialism
The conditions to facilitate the international domination of capital dovetail with globalization, and with the power exerted by international financial institutions to force states to cede greater rights and space to capital accumulation through processes of austerity, structural adjustment, and privatization of state assets (Harvey 2005)

Summary

Introduction

I seek to contribute to the discussion by classifying potential connections between economic and military aspects of empire. Much work has been done recently examining the economic underpinnings of imperialism, examining the capturing of value from exploited populations in the Global South by Northern-based multinational corporations through foreign direct investment and arms-length production (Suwandi 2019; Smith 2016).

Results

Conclusion