‘Twin covenants’ and new imperialism

1662

18 February, 2018

Throughout the history, powerful countries’ desire to dominate and rule over weaker ones in a bid to heighten their richness and wealth, always gave rise to “colonialism”. As a result, colonial powers took control of the labour force, natural resources and markets of the lands they occupied. Furthermore, to ensure that their targets do not stand up to this system of exploitation and disrupt their colonial plans, they kept locals and their social, cultural and religious bonds under heavy surveillance and pressure.

During the colonial period that first began in the 16th century, countries like France, England, and Holland built colonial powers in various African, Asian and Pacific countries through military means. After that, they moved their own administrators and institutions to those countries in order to build systems that would make sure that indigenous people would work for their interests.

By the end of 19th and early 20th centuries, the concept of “nation state” that emerged in the Europe spread and put a gradual end to colonialism. However, transformed global powers after the first and second world wars, introduced newer but more subtle versions of colonialism, and thus made sure that colonialism lived on in practice, although its name had been banished.

Developing science and technology, especially communication advances, made it possible to access information much quicker and easier compared to past centuries, and made the people of the world more conscious and aware of the developments in the world. This, inevitably led to fierce social backlashes against attempts of any old-fashioned occupation, conquest, enslavement, and colonisation. For this reason, more subtle, more elaborate methods that spanned long periods of time, and backed by laws, were called for.

Bearing in mind these new requirements, the super powers of the world rapidly started developing new colonisation projects after WWII, and rushed to put them into practice. The largest and most wide-scaled one amongst those projects had been the Great Middle East Project that targeted the Middle East and the Islamic world in general. Skyes-Picot was outdated and for that reason, the map of the whole Islamic world had to be redrawn from Morocco to Indonesia. Arab Spring riots, propaganda against Muslim countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Syria that led to wars, upheavals and conflicts, separatist terrorist movements in Turkey and its southern borders and sectarian clashes, had all been parts of that project, and aimed to finalise the new map.

It may be true that the era of colonialism is over, but its practices are still around. However, they are no longer referred to with taboo names like “colonialism” or “imperialism” but instead, with concepts like “democracy”, “freedom”, “self-determination”, “independence of the oppressed”, which, no doubt, sound more justified.

The UN adopted a series of treaties in 1966 called the ‘Twin Covenants’ and called on the member states to sign it. The most important clauses of these covenants were as follows:

1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources ... In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant…, shall promote the realisation of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. “

After a while the European Union adopted the same strategy and the Council of Europe, between the years 1981-1984, based on the idea that “defending autonomy is the basic condition of the building of a Europe that is based on principles of democracy”, adopted a bill entitled “European Charter of Local Self-Government” and put it into effect in 1988.

These bills, which at first glance give the impression of promoting more democracy, in truth provide a suitable ground for the intervention of global powers with economic, political and strategic plans regarding various peoples, rather than giving those people any real powers. In addition, they provide legal grounds for civil unrest and wars. These self-government laws that eventually lead to countries dividing into hundreds of different parts, is almost like a 21st century version of the imperialism that caused the division and exploitation of Asia and Africa in the 19th century.

Indeed, the European countries consider these laws as potentially dangerous for their national integrity and therefore almost all of the countries put reservations that limited the implementation of such laws. It is also because of this reason, UN laws had not also been accepted without reservations. If it weren’t for those reservations and declarations, Catalonia and Basque in Spain, Scotland and Wales in the UK, Veneto in Italy, Flemish region that doesn’t want to share the wealth in Belgium, and Island of Corsica in France would be drawn to separation and follow in the footsteps of the shattered Balkans.

Interestingly enough, although many countries vigorously object to any suggestions of autonomy or division when it concerns them, they seem overtly supportive of the idea of a full acceptance of the Charter when it applies to the Middle East, the Islamic world and Turkey. In fact, determined and systemic lobbying, propaganda, political pressure and perception operations they carry out to achieve these ends, are only commonplace. There is a relentless campaign to ensure that societies that have co-existed harmoniously for centuries are turned against each other based on ethnic backgrounds and sectarian differences, so that they can be easier targets for the new colonial powers.

Superpowers of the world today, make promises of establishing independent states to communist terror groups like the PKK, which had killed tens of thousands of innocent people, or fascist mafia groups and provide them with military and financial support, on pretexts of “democratic autonomy” and “liberation of people”. On the other hand, they remain eerily quiet and indifferent, when it comes to the rescue of truly oppressed and prosecuted peoples like Rohingya, East Turkistan and Kashmir, who has been deprived of their human rights for decades.

Today, maybe the most cunning plan world has ever seen, is being put into practice right before the very eyes of the world. Moreover, it is done with an unprecedented double-standard, devious and hypocritical approach, disguised behind charming slogans and promises. It is clear that considering such a dangerous, sneaky working plan as natural and accepting it would be a grave mistake. For this reason it is crucial that these vital facts are brought up all the time and societies are made aware of the plots targeting them so that they can devise strategies to protect themselves.

Adnan Oktar's piece in Gulf Times:

http://www.gulf-times.com/story/473808/Twin-covenants-and-new-imperialism