(A Discourse about Great Britain and its Imperial Revival)
by: Ma. Chrisel P. Maniebo
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Contents Introduction The Rise of an Empire: what helped strengthen the British Empire The Thirteen Colonies Africa The Triangular Trade India: the Crown Jewel of Great Britain The Beginning of the Collapse of the Empire Implications of World War II Sea Power: Key to the revival The Commonwealth Overseas Territory Falkland War Alliances and Partnerships 3 | P a g e
US (United States) CONCLUSION
I- Introduction The aim of this paper is to understand first how Great Britain started its global empire, an empire that ranged at times, from the American colonies in the West, Australia and New Zealand in the East, Canada and her dominions in the North and huge chunks of Africa in the South, including Egypt and Rhodesia. Second, to understand how Great Britain used its power thru commonwealth and how did they impose their will in their empire and after the collapse of British imperial power, what impact did decolonization have on Britain? After understanding everything, and by using Mahans sea power theory as a method of proving this argument: Great Britain can revive its imperial power.
II- Discussion Proper Start of an Empire The British Empire significantly kick-started the world into the modern era, and gave the world a new view. How did the British Empire begin? Historically, Britain has been, to some degree, a parliamentary democracy that reigned in kings and queens and rulers, and was the first 4 | P a g e
to have a popular revolution. History tells us that the first Englishmen who started to venture capitalism were adventurers who robbed mainland Spain and wanted a slice of everything, from every place that they went of which were often backed by Royal decree. From here, the ideas of capitalism, free trade, enforced labor, rigid hierarchies, discrimination and severe divides between those who had and those who did not have, both in Great Britain and its colonies. These discriminations were in reality an important issue to deal with. It has been clearly demonstrated in its colonies like India, Africa and Ireland and in their colonies in the Middle East and this started the Empire. An example of which is Ireland, it was the first serious attempt by the British Crown and Parliament to begin a process of English colonisation to make use of its wilderness and make the land more profitable. At this time, the Irish were treated like natives, same as what the Spaniards thought of the Filipinos when they colonized us, the British have also seen the Irish as uncivilized and nomads. This interference of the British with the Irish was because of their principle that nobody owned the land and it was free for everyone to get. The situation was like this: the Englishman was the civilized man and the Irish was the uncultured one. This excuse that they are civilized and others were not, together with other bogus reasons was the key factor why the Englishmen sought to establish colonies that would make profit and establish their names. Basically, its the same excuse that most colonizers used in establishing their connection to their will-be-colonies. The idea of civilization are always used to excuse slavery, land grabbing and even ethnic cleansing (the best example that I could think of was the nazification in Germany wherein they built concentration camps, placed the Jews in gas chambers and killed them because the Germans have this thinking that they were above the Jews and the Jews were the pest in their place thus they are needed to be exterminated)
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Going back to Great Britain, Africa became the source of wealth for Britain and Europe, primarily because of slave trade but also because of its goods. According to Iggy Kim and Peter Boyle in their article, How the Rich Invented Racism; racism has historical root in the development of capitalism. The slaves can be brought cheaply and in bulk. After reading that article its clear to me that blacks or other skin color, brown (Moreno or Asian) besides white (Caucasians) must have been naturally inferior to whites. A factor to this idea was the fact that the expansion of European capitalism to Africa and Asia includes huge colonial empires and it justifies the global oppressive relations of imperialism. The beginning of Britains industrialisation and the creation of this social class creates vast divisions in Britain and around the world.
(Great Britain in the 19 th Century) By the middle of the nineteenth century, the British Empire was the largest and richest empire in the world. This gave rise to the belief that the British themselves were the chosen race chosen to bring the benefit of western civilization to the backward areas of the world. After they have conquered India, their military, economic, social, ethnic and even religion were affected by these natural superiority and natural inferiority. In understanding how this empire starts, it is important to understand that these inherent division within the imperial system, how racist and classist propaganda and such was accumulated for centuries of brutal, merciless and systematic injustice for one real purpose that is to make capital gain. 6 | P a g e
According to Anthony Wohl, racism and class prejudice does not only serve as agents of political power but also as buffers between community and nature that seems to be getting to close for psychological comfort. The Thirteen Colonies: Colonists had many reasons for leaving Europe and coming to the New World. Some only had a small area of farming land in Europe and expected to get bigger farms in America. Others were fed up with wars and rebellions that went on in Europe and made it unstable. They wanted peace and a quiet life. Another group thought it was easy to make money and get rich quickly in America. Farmers in the south saw a chance to earn a lot by growing and selling tobacco. But most people came for religious reasons. Many European kings and queens forced their people to have the same religion that they had. Most settlers came to America because they wanted religious freedom. The thirteen colonies became very essential to the growth of the British Empire because of the following: (1) The British had established large plantation or farming land. Colonists grew their own food, raised cattle, chicken and sheep; went hunting and fishing that was used to trade around the world especially in India and Africa. (2) Primary crops: Corn, cotton, tabacco and sugar. In these regions of North America, the soil are suitable for farming and therefore, British had established large plantations that produces crops such as tobacco, cotton, and sugar which is a primary raw material to create rum. With the huge number of production, the goods were traded all over Europe, Africa, and India. With the plantations in the Thirteen Colonies, and successful trades, the economy of the British Empire had increased drastically. This made the Thirteen Colonies a very important territory for Britain. 7 | P a g e
Africa: Slave Manufacturer? The British had found that labor in Africa were cheap and had decided to export African natives to other colonies, due to large plantations, and labor was greatly in demand. This started the slave trade which secured the wealth of the British Empire, because these slaves were not only exported to American colonies but also to other European Countries. Along the coast of West Africa, Trading posts were established which became the center for commerce. This made Africa the stopping station before reaching India. During this time Merchants, Traders, and Missionaries has travelled from Britain to Africa. English missionaries with the fervor to bring Christianity, entered the innermost part of Africa. Merchants and traders also explored Africa to locate and discover new resources. The Triangular Trade The Triangle Trade, also known as the triangular trade, is the name given to a system of trade that occurred during the colonial era in American History. New Englanders traded extensively, exporting many commodities such as fish, whale oil, furs, and rum. However, one distinct route that formed was the triangular trade. This pattern occurred as follows: (1) New Englanders manufactured and shipped rum to the west coast of Africa in exchange for slaves. (2) 8 | P a g e
The slaves were taken on the Middle Passage to the West Indies where they were sold for molasses and money. (3) The molasses would be sent to New England to make rum and start the entire system of trade all over again. It is important to note that the triangle trade was not an official or rigid system of trade, but instead a name that has been given to this triangular route of trade that existed between these three places across the Atlantic. Further, other triangle-shaped trade routes existed at this time. However, when individuals speak of the triangle trade, they are typically referring to this system. India: The Crown Jewel of Great Britain India became a center of interest from Great Britain because it also become a center of commerce for both European and Asian nations. It was particularly known for its abundant resources like spices, and especially its minerals and gold. By 1835, British Tradesman travelled to India and established the East India Company. The British Empire had granted political and military privilege to E.I.CO, so that they could profit from them. With the establishment of the E.I.CO the Britains grip from India became firmer. East India Company, the name given to a number of companies set up in the 17th and 18th centuries by various European countries to trade with the East Indies, India, and China. The name usually refers to the English company that was chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600. This company is important because it established British rule in India. The full name of the first English company was The Governor and Company of Merchants of London, trading with the East Indies. It was given a monopoly of trade with all islands and places between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan. The first voyages were profitable, but the company came into conflict with the Dutch East India Company. After 1623 the English turned their attention from the East Indies to India. The English company built up large trading posts in India. Various acts of Parliament renewed its charter, in return for which the company made large loans to the government. The company was given authority to acquire territory, coin money, maintain forts and armies, make treaties, and administer justice. Through treaties and wars, the company became the ruler of much of India. A French company became the rival of the British in India. During the Seven Years' War in Europe (175663), the two companies engaged in war in India. The British won under the leadership of Robert Clive. In 1784 Parliament set up a board of control to supervise the company's rule of India. In 1813 Parliament abolished the company's 9 | P a g e
monopoly of Indian trade. After the Indian Mutiny (1857), the British East India Company was deprived of its political authority. It was dissolved in 1858. During this time of success in India, the 13 American colonies broke up with the British Empire, which caused an economic blow to Britain. Simultaneously, trade with China had been a failure. With these events, India became more important to the empire. The Beginning of the Collapse of the Empire The collapse of the British Imperial Power can be traced directly to the impact of World War II. British defeats in Asia and in its Europes colonies destroyed its financial and economic independence which was the foundation of the imperial system. This erased the old balance of power on which the British has largely depended. Even though Britain was one of the victorious allies, the defeat of Germany had been mainly the work of American power and that of Japan. So, Britain had survived the war but its wealth, prestige and authority had been severely reduced. Britains weakness can be seen when India was withdraw in 1947. This withdrawal happened because during World War II, the British had mobilised Indias resources for their imperial war effort and was able to crushed the attempt of Gandhi and the Indian National Congress for Britain to quit India in 1942 but because Britain promise to give India full independence once World War II was over, once the war was done, Britain hoped that India would remain part of the imperial defence but that did not happened. So it was a hard blow for Britain. Another factor to look at why Britain has lost its empire was because it was overshadowed by the two superpower, the US and the Soviet Union; its domestic economy had been seriously weakened and the Labour government had embarked on a huge and expensive program for social reform. In line of this, Britains economic recovery and the survival of sterling as a great trading currency required closer integration with the white dominions, namely Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The sterling area which included the empire, Commonwealth (with the exception of Canada) and other countries accounted for half of the worlds trade in the early post war years. At this time, Britain were determined to exploit their tropical colonies for more source of income. Britains strategic defence against the new Soviet threat required forward air bases from which to bomb Southern Russia which was the industrial arsenal of the Soviet Union. This means staying in the Middle East even after the breakdown of British control of Palestine and its 10 | P a g e
hasty evacuation in 1948. Britain was also determined to hold on to their treaties and bases including the Suez Canal zone; what they have hoped for was support from Australia and Indian against Soviet influence in Asia. The deal now was that the British leaders must uphold its status as the third great power being overthrown by the Soviet Union and the US and that it could only do so by maintaining its empire and the Commonwealth link. The 1956 Suez Crisis was a savage revelation of Britains financial and military weakness and destroyed much of what remained of Britains influence in the Middle East. At this point, it was becoming much harder for Britain to control the rate of political change, especially where the presence of settlers sharpened conflicts over land. Not just that, Britains position as the third great power and deputy leader of the Western Alliance was threatened by the resurgence of France and West Germany, who jointly presided over the new European Economic Community (EEC). All of these crises that Britain were experiencing were a revelation of Britains financial and military weakness. Because of the conditions that they were confronting, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain everything. To avoid being trapped in costly struggle with local nationalist movements, Britain backed out most of the remaining colonies with haste. As late as 1959, it had publicly scheduled a degree of self-government for Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika which became independent between 1961 and 1963. As I have pointed out, British leaders insisted that Britain would remain as the top three in the world power a status guaranteed by its nuclear deterrent and its continuing influence in the ex-colonial world, and symbolised by the Commonwealth which the ex-colonies had joined. But that didnt happen due to Britains failure to stop the revolt in Southern Rhodesia in 1965 - it was a huge embarrassment. Another thing was because of protecting Malaysias new federation against Indonesian aggression became more and more costly. Main point: it was just too hard for Britain to get a hand of everything, so the colonies were lost. Britain was finding it too costly to protect its remaining colonies and there are no more resources for them to use as profit/s. The post-war decolonization forced Britain to take a more rigorously cost-benefit analysis approach to its foreign policy. Britain has to accept that the new geopolitical landscape and its relative economic decline meant any moves it did make needed to be more closely scrutinised to ensure that they were as effective as possible. This also led to a close relationship with US. Britain returned sovereignty to a former colony only when it was certain that the new 11 | P a g e
government and ruling elite would be amenable to its influence and contribute towards the realisation of its interests. The Commonwealth Great Britains Commonwealth will play the key role for its Imperial Revival. To be clear, I will first discuss the role of the Commonwealth. Commonwealth gave definition to dominions as autonomous communities within the British empire that were equal in status and in no way subordinate in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs. They were united by a common allegiance to the British Crown and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Canada, Australia, the Irish Free State, South Africa, New Zealand and Newfoundland were dominions under the Statute of Westminster. When India were divided into two (India and Pakistan), the Commonwealth was needed to be amended as the new India is keen to remain a member of the association but had decided that its form of government should place the power to its citizens (became Republican) and not remain monarchy. Because of these instances, the Commonwealth of Nations had been created for those ex-colonies who wants to be in but doesnt want to remain a monarchy. New India for example has republican constitutions but wanted to remain as members of the Commonwealth and accepts the British Monarch as a symbol for free association of independent member nations. But, one must remember that the Commonwealth of Nations doesnt have any constitution proposed either then or later for the governance of the association. Not all former colonies joined the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth has a membership of 53 countries. Over two-thirds of these do not recognize the British Monarch as their head of state. The Commonwealth does not bore any resemblance of the past, but is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty and the desire for freedom and peace a source of unity. It values commitment to democracy, the rule of law, good governance, freedom of expression and the protection of human rights. Especially respect for diversity and human dignity, implacable opposition to all forms of discrimination; it is determined to work to eliminate poverty, to promote people- centered and sustainable development and progressively remove the wide disparities in living standards and overcome the special challenges facing members in small states and less developed countries. 12 | P a g e
The Commonwealth also collectively striving after international peace and security, the rule of international law, the elimination of people smuggling and scourge of terrorism. Africa
Asia
Caribbean and Americas
Europe
Pacific
Botswana
Cameroon
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Bangladesh
Brunei Darussalam
India
Malaysia
Maldives
Pakistan
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas, The Barbados
Belize
Canada
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Cyprus
Malta
United Kingdom
Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Nauru
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga 13 | P a g e
Nigeria
Rwanda
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Swaziland
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Zambia
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and The Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
(Members of the Commonwealth: Countries by region. Source: http://thecommonwealth.org/member-countries) By these values that the Commonwealth implies are very crucial for Great Britain to gain back its imperial power. To further explain, let me discuss about the characteristics of the Commonwealth. The first characteristic of the Commonwealth is that membership is voluntary. This underlines the acceptance that all members are equal within the association even if they were at 14 | P a g e
one time a colony or trust territory overseen by a central power. The difference with the Commonwealth then and now is that the membership is voluntary meaning, no force done. Next, all members must be independent sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies. But the Commonwealth practice allows dependencies of member countries to be eligible for some form of Commonwealth technical assistance or to be represented at events such as regional discussion forums though not at policy making meetings. Each member country is responsible for its own policies but all Commonwealth countries must act within a culture of consultation and cooperation. By consulting, it provides strength and a form for understanding each members positions. It also permits action on the basis of consensus that distinguishes the Commonwealth from many other international groupings. And last is that the Commonwealth requires that all of the associations work should be directed to the common interest of the Commonwealths people and to the promotion of international understanding and world peace. According to Shridath Ramphal (1975-1990), the true value of the Commonwealth derives not from likeness or even like-mindedness but from variety. It derives from the fact that this family facility is a commingling of the worlds diversity. What the Commonwealth tries to do is to harmonize difference over a wider range and to further degree than any other grouping. All of these values and characteristics of the Commonwealth is the key for Great Britain to gain back its imperial power. Remember that US used benevolent assimilation and propaganda to gain its power and were very successful with it. In the case of the Commonwealth, Great Britain can also use the same tactic as what the US did. Not relying heavily on benevolent assimilation but with propaganda as its way to attract more countries to join the Commonwealth. I have also discussed in one of the characteristics of the Commonwealth is that a country doesnt need to be in monarchy to belong but a country can also be republican or democracy if it wishes. What the Commonwealth upholds the most is peace internationally and within its member; its a great propaganda and everyone will buy it because everyone wants to achieve peace. Great Britain cant gain back its lost imperial power by itself alone given the bad practices that it had done in the past (social class, racism, discrimination, abuse of power, etc.) Great Britain will regain its imperial power because of its Commonwealth. 15 | P a g e
(The 53 countries that is part of the Commonwealth)
Overseas Territories The British Oversea Territories are comprised by fourteen different territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. These countries are those territories which have not acquire independence during the decolonization period, unlike the Commonwealth Realms, but rather voted to remain as British Territories. Even though, each has their own internal leadership, most being self-governing, they share one head of state, The British Monarch. Despite the fact that historically, these territories belonged to the United Kingdom, several disputes sprang among the countries which claims sovereignty to these territories. The British Antarctic Territory which is claimed by Chile and Argentina; the British Indian Ocean Territory which is claimed by Mauritius and Seychelles; South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and the Falkland Islands which are claimed by the Argentineans (this dispute also caused the Falkland Islands Battle between the Government of Argentina and United Kingdom); the Spanish claim upon Gibraltar. The Overseas Territories give Britain a global strategic reach in support of their international objectives. The Ascension Islands provide an airfield which plays a crucial part of the air bridge to the Islands. In British India Oversea Territory, the faculties as allied operations 16 | P a g e
across the Middle East and South East Asia; in Cyprus, Great Britain military based was established to provide valuable training environment and provide extensive support for UK operations in Afghanistan and Iraq; in Gibraltar, it served as a permanent military base and responsible for forward mounting of operations in the Mediterranean and North America. The best example of Great Britains dedication in protecting his overseas territories can be seen in Falklands War. Falklands War Fought in 1982, the Falklands War was the result of the Argentine invasion of the British- owned Falkland Islands. Located in the South Atlantic, Argentina had long claimed these islands as part of its territory. On April 2, 1982, Argentine forces landed in the Falklands, capturing the islands two days later. In response, the British dispatched a naval and amphibious task force to the area. The initial phases of the conflict occurred mainly at sea between elements of the Royal Navy and the Argentine Air Force. On May 21, British troops landed and by June 14 had compelled the Argentine occupiers to surrender. Due to this several claims and disputes, the Government of the United Kingdom sees that its primary responsibility is the defense and security of its territories abroad. They aimed to counter external threats, international terrorism, and organized crime to ensure its security. The U.K. Government will continue to maintain an independent ability to defend the Territories including their territorial waters and air-space from any external security threats they may face. In order for the United Kingdom to establish itself as a new global power, It must first maintain the security in its territories abroad.
II Methodology After understanding what happened during the rise and fall of the British Empire, main question still remains unanswered: can Great Britain revive its imperial power? To answer the question, I will use Alfred Mahans Sea power theory and I will also discuss why Mahans theory is the best fit for this situation. Now, a little background about Mahan: Alfred Thayer Mahan 17 | P a g e
Alfred Thayer Mahan was an American naval officer who emphasized the importance of sea power as a major factor in geopolitics. He departed in several key ways from other theorist of his era including MacKinders heartland theory. Mahan was convinced that beginning with the Age of Exploration, the nations that achieved great power status did so because they mastered sea power. He felt that any country building a fleet could destroy an enemys main force in a single battle would become a hegemonic force. To a degree, Mahan based his views on an analysis of the conflicts occurring from the 17 th through 18 th century particularly with Great Britain and France. It is Mahans fundamental assumption regarding the importance of sea power was his belief that economic competition sat at the heart of all rivalry between nations. Another essential in Mahans viewpoint was the commercial expansion through trade. As a naval officer, the thinks that sea power is necessary not merely to military success, but instrumental in sharing economic success. His main proposal was that countries should use their resources when not at war to construct a maritime apparatus that was capable of promoting commercial activities as well as military one. Believing that sea power was central, he emphasized the highway aspect of the sea and argued that any country that was dependent on the world economy needed to be able to secure access to the world and could only do so if no enemy fleet dominated the seas.
Sea Power Theory: Is it still applicable in this Era? Mahans influence on the development of an extensive American naval fleet is one of his major contributions to the world. Though he agreed with MacKinder in his belief that heartlands does exist and are quite dynamic. What differentiates Mahan from other thinkers is his constant emphasis on the overarching significance of sea power and sea transport which he felt were destined to remain the dominant mode of international interaction even now that land transportations are increasing this is the main reason why I choose Mahans theory. Great Britain together with its colonies is unlike Russia or China. They are different in the sense that Russia and China was a huge chunk of land mass unlike Great Britain and its colonies they are scattered everywhere to different parts of the world. And because of this, for Great Britain to reclaim its lost imperial power or to be a hegemonic force, it must first do three things: (1) It must strengthen its economic power (2) It must strengthen its military power 18 | P a g e
especially its naval fleets not just in Great Britain but in all of its colonies (3) Reform in their ideology (which was conservatism). Mahans perspective that a nation could not achieve influence on a global scale without developing a powerful navy, through the strategic mobility and flexibility provided by sea power, could increase the nations status quo. But the events in the 20 th century tended to diminish the validity of Mahan and his theories concerning the overriding significance of sea power. The World War I and II, followed by the Cold War marked the last hundred years as largely one spent in preventing single power hegemony over the Eurasian landmass. The territorial context overshadowed the prospect for a predominantly maritime based military strategy. Sometimes even wrongly interpreting the easy trade-off ability of maritime and land based strategies. Technologic innovation in the form of the aircraft and submarine also challenged the continued viability of the traditional surface based navy. Using Mahans Sea Power theory to revive Great Britains imperial power will provide them maritime superiority through: 1) the ability to protect global economic interest 2) strategic flexibility and mobility 3) political influence or, if needed, coercion capability of combat credible maritime-based forces. Alliance and Partnership: the United States Alliances and partnerships will remain a fundamental part of the British approach to defense and security. Maintaining and building constructive and reciprocal bilateral relationships across all aspects of national security can enhance capability and maximize efficiency. Supporting the development of major multilateral institutions and instruments can reinforce a more forceful rules-based international system and reflect the changing balance of global power. The term Special Relationship is used by the Americans and the British to describe the uniquely close connection between the United States and the United Kingdom. In World War I, U.S. and U.K. fought together and in World War II, the Unites States entered the European portion of the conflict in order to defend the United Kingdom and other European Allies. The United Kingdom was the only top world power to support the United States in the Iraq War. The United States and the United Kingdom share enormous trade and economic relations. On the diplomatic front, both are among the founders of the United Nations, NATO, World Trade Organization, G-8, and host of other international bodies. 19 | P a g e
The goal of this partnership is to enhance the strategic counter-terrorism relationship, which includes sharing access to key capabilities to enable better border security, transport security, working together in third world countries to address the shared threat and increasing the amount of joint funding of science and technology programs. Enhance the cooperation on cyber security through the existing close defense and intelligence relationships. To strengthen cooperation in the approaches to the most serious resilience risks, including through shared assessments and, where appropriate, joint programs; to enhance the vital intelligence contribution to the bilateral relationship; to intensify the governments efforts to set the international agenda on nuclear non- proliferation and broader arms control and maintain military capabilities that provide maximum mutual benefit. It is right to say that in having to compete with the worlds new super powers, Great Britain finds it imperative to ally itself with one of the most formidable country on the globe The United States of America. By doing so, there is a greater chance for the British to enhance it military defenses and protecting its national interests. IV Conclusion Great Britain and todays world and the role of the US are striking. In both a single power plays a dominant and sometimes hegemonic role in maintenance of global economic and military stability; in both there is a long period when there was no true peer completion; in both, economic and security issues have significant overlap; in both liberal global economic integration is encouraged by the dominant power; in both this integration significantly benefits a number of other states and in both military is employed for status quo through forward presence, crisis response and environmental shaping. There are three points why I used Mahans theory in reviving Great Britains imperial power. These are: 1) through sea power, Great Britain will have the ability to protect global economic interests 2) strategic flexibility and mobility 3) political influence or if needed, coercion capability of combat credible maritime based forces. Both the immediate and long-term future is best characterized by the globalization within which escalating economic interdependence fosters increasing global prosperity. The rate of 20 | P a g e
global change has reached unparalleled levels and appears to have no end in sight as an increasingly integrated worldwide free market (Thomas Friedman, 1999) At this day and time, how will Great Britain achieve its sea power given that US, Russia and China are in the top of their game? The answer is simple: globalization. The concept of globalization if often mistaken as a synonym for information revolution whereas people can go to their laptops, type and search anything on Google, order almost any product over the internet: clothes, foods, books, used car or brand new car, groceries, movies the possibility is endless with the technology that we have today but that doesnt mean that it is globalization. The US Presidents national security strategy defines globalization as the process of accelerating economic, technological, cultural and political integration; that is, bringing citizens from all continents closer together, allowing them to share ideas, goods and information in an instant. At its most basic core todays globalization system is a political economic phenomenon that combines the internationalization of commerce, the inter-actions of nation-states moving toward the benefits of greater integration and the supranational organizations empowered to achieve that end. When this system works to the mutually satisfactory benefit of its participants, economic activity and integration are generally treated on the same level, often even above its security considerations. Should it be perceived to be unsatisfactory, narrower domestic political and security consideration will inevitably take priority for the disaffected actors. This continuum of interplay between economics and defense is not a profound departure from the pre- globalization era. Understanding this often overlooked truth is critical to understanding globalizations reality and potential. The openness and economic freedom that underpins globalization does not exist by chance or fortunate instances. In the case of Great Britain, it has already open itself to the world in the late 19 th century and that is vital for the revival of Great Britains imperial power. The hegemonic stability is a theory that relies on the existence of a dominant state with a symbolic economic and military capability that can be used to entice or compel others to accept an open trading structure. The hegemonic state will opt for an open system because it increases its national aggregate income, economic growth and political power while mitigating any social instability resulting from exposure to international system. 21 | P a g e
Keohane, who first identified the medium through which the power of the hegemon is translated to global stability: the construction and safeguarding of strong international regimes that provide the norms, rules and procedures that guide the behaviour of states and other important actors. Such regimes can also be thought of an international arrangements or agreements and may be found between different types of international actors nation-states, multinational corporations, supranational organizations, etc. what is important is that strength of the international regime and its ability to influence predictable international activity vice its implicit or explicit nature. I strongly believed that globalization within the Commonwealth will take a major role in the success of the Mahans sea power theory given the present situation. By opening the connection of Great Britain to its formers colonies and the members of commonwealth through trade are enough for Great Britain to secure its economic status. Once they have regained their economic status, since they dont have any more colonies to protect unlike in the World War II, Great Britain can focus on strengthening their military power their maritime power to be exact. Globalization is the key to their maritime strengthening. Given that they can gain influence Atlantic Ocean through Canada, Indian Ocean through India. The success of their naval strengthening lies within the Commonwealth. Here are my premises for Great Britains Imperial Revival: (1) Retain the British Colonies through creating foreign policies which would not only benefit the home country but the overseas territories as well. (2) Enhance the British Armed Forces and the Royal Navy (3)Military deployment in the Overseas territory (4)Protect global economic interest (5) Form alliance with the United States especially to other members of the other world organizations.
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(World map)
V Reference/s: The Decline, Revival and Fall of the British Empire by J. Gallagher (Cambridge University Press, 1982) The Oxford History of the British Empire: the Twentieth Century by J.M.Brown and W.R.Louis (eds) (Oxford University Press, 1999) esp. Chs. 3, 4, 14, 15, 18. Escape from Empire: The Attlee Government and the Indian Problem by R.J.Moore (Oxford University Press, 1983) European Decolonisation 1918-1981: a Survey by R.F.Holland (Macmillan, 1985) 23 | P a g e
Britain and Decolonisation: the Retreat from Empire in the Post-War World by J.Darwin (Macmillan,1988) Britain and Empire: Adjusting to a Post-Imperial World by L.J.Butler, (I.B.Tauris, 2002) Anti-Colonialism in British Politics: the Left and the End of Empire, 1918-1964 by S.Howe, (Oxford University Press, 1994) Emergencies and Disorders in the European Empires after 1945 edited by R.F.Holland, (Frank Cass, 1994). British Culture and the End of Empire edited by S.Ward, (Manchester University Press, 2002) The Making of the New Commonwealth by R.J.Moore (Oxford University Press, 1987) The Influence of Sea Power Upon History by Alfred Thayer Mahan, 1889 (www.gutenberg.org/files/13529/13529.txt) The Context of Mahans Debatable Zone by W.D.Walters (Illinois State University)