Abstract
Imperialism is characterized by an unequal economic, social, and political relationship marked by military superiority, by the exertion of force, and in many cases, by the imposition of cultural values. In its modern version, the term “imperialism” is most often associated with Lenin's analysis of global capitalism. In his
Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism
(1916), Lenin argued that Western capitalist economies, propelled by the inner contradictions of capital and the increasing role of finance capital, inevitably had to exploit overseas territories in a competitive struggle to aid capital accumulation. In recent years, imperialist practices have included direct warfare and occupation, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, but more commonly imperialism has been exercised through the continuing attempt by the United States and its allies to coerce countries to abide by the vastly unequal rules of the neoliberal global economy and to provide valuable resources and labor for Northern economies.