Imperialism and unequal development: A new stage in the North/South conflict

Abstract

Contemporary capitalism has reached an extreme stage of centralisation of capital ownership. These generalised monopolies centralise for their benefit an increased imperialist rent. Thereby, the contradiction centre/periphery, far from being alleviated by the deepening of globalisation, is accentuated. Yet, the emerging countries (China, India, Brazil and others) have benefited from the globalisation of the1990s and 2000s that enabled them to accelerate their growth pace. The pursuit of this globalised capitalist option is unsustainable: this way will not make it possible to absorb the gigantic mass of peasantries in a development of modern industries and services. The historic capitalist way based on private ownership of the agrarian soil was possible only for Europe, thanks to the massive emigration permitted by the conquest of the Americas. The people for Asia and Africa, who have no such opportunity, cannot follow the same development path. In other words, while historic capitalism did solve the agrarian issue for Europe, it remains unable to do so in the peripheries. Those among the countries in the South who would persist in this way and accept to “adjust” on a day-to-day basis to conditions that would be increasingly severe with the deepening of the crisis, will find themselves not to have built a “national capitalism” capable of dealing on equal terms with the collective imperialism of the Triad, but in the situation of countries ravaged by a lumpen capitalism, for all that vulnerable and thereby dominated. Imperialist powers only see in these countries “emerging markets” whose development will necessarily fall within this deplorable perspective. But the countries concerned see themselves as “emerging nations”. The difference is significant. Will the conflict centre/periphery mobilise all the Southern countries?