neocolonialism
Indirect foreign domination
Neocolonialism is the practice of powerful nations exerting control over weaker ones through economic, political, or cultural pressure rather than direct military occupation.
The term emerged after World War II as former colonies gained independence but remained economically dependent on their former rulers: Critics call IMF loan conditions a form of neocolonialism.
The accusation implies that colonial exploitation continues under different mechanisms—debt, trade agreements, or foreign corporate ownership of resources.
State of needing support
- debtMoney owed another
- loansBorrowed money arrangements
- trade imbalanceUnequal imports versus exports
- resource extractionObtaining substances from nature
multinational · exploitation · foreign investment · privatization · austerity · IMF · World Bank · economic control
Dominant group's control
- puppet governmentRegime controlled externally
- client stateDependent nation under patronage
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- foreign influenceOutside power affecting domestic affairs
intervention · regime change · proxy · soft power · sphere of influence · patronage · corruption · governance
Forcible acquisition of territory
- miningExtracting earth's resources
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
- dispossessionDeprival of property rights
- plunderGoods seized violently
commodities · raw materials · resource curse · concessions · agribusiness · deforestation · water rights · environmental degradation
Purposeful involvement to change course
- basesBottom supports or stations
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- proxy warConflict fought through intermediaries
- arms tradeCommerce in weaponry
peacekeeping · military aid · coercion · destabilization · coup · NATO · drone strikes · counterterrorism
Adopting Western cultural practices
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
- cultural imperialismDominant society imposing its ways
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
- homogenizationMaking things the same
erasure · indigenous · identity · missionary · education · cultural hegemony · representation · othering
dependency
State of needing support
- debtMoney owed another
- loansBorrowed money arrangements
- trade imbalanceUnequal imports versus exports
resource extraction · multinational · exploitation · foreign investment · privatization · austerity · IMF · World Bank · economic control · monoculture
hegemony
Dominant group's control
- puppet governmentRegime controlled externally
- client stateDependent nation under patronage
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
foreign influence · intervention · regime change · proxy · soft power · sphere of influence · patronage · corruption · governance · autonomy
land grabbing
Forcible acquisition of territory
- miningExtracting earth's resources
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
- dispossessionDeprival of property rights
plunder · commodities · raw materials · resource curse · concessions · agribusiness · deforestation · water rights · environmental degradation · exploitation
intervention
Purposeful involvement to change course
- basesBottom supports or stations
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- proxy warConflict fought through intermediaries
arms trade · peacekeeping · military aid · coercion · destabilization · coup · NATO · drone strikes · counterterrorism · strategic interests
Westernization
Adopting Western cultural practices
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
- cultural imperialismDominant society imposing its ways
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
homogenization · erasure · indigenous · identity · missionary · education · cultural hegemony · representation · othering · exoticism
- colonialismcolonizer, colonies, British Empire, colonizers, protectorate
- globalizationglobalization, free trade, global village, global trade, multinationals
- imperialismempire building, imperial expansion, British Empire, colonies, Dutch Empire
- Philippine historypresidents, Spanish rule, vice president, revolutionaries, Imelda
- American HegemonyMonroe Doctrine, manifest destiny, territorial expansion, interventionism, regime change
- decolonizationanticolonialism, independence movement, independence movements, freedom fighter, national liberation
neocolonialismself-determination
Control over one's fate
national sovereignty · sovereignty · independence · decolonization · autonomy
neocolonialismfair trade
Equitable exchange between parties
mutual cooperation · economic independence · self-reliance · economic justice · import substitution
neocolonialismsettler colonialism
Occupation displacing native peoples