In Defense of Colonialism

 In today’s woke culture, the mere mention of colonialism will get you a negative reaction akin to supporting slavery.  This is not an apologetic for colonialism but a look at the reality of what colonialism produced. Let’s look at the history of colonialism and see just what it accomplished.  I know that colonialism produced some bad actors and bad results, but what society has not?  Colonialism provided much needed structure, government and functioning infrastructure in places where there was none.  Colonialism ended in Africa and many other areas shortly after World War II.  What has happened in Africa since?  Well, let’s look at some examples, among others:  

Somalia.  Somalia, a former Italian colony, has had no government since the early 1990s when the Somali Democratic Republic collapsed, and a civil war started among numerous warlords.  The United States and other European countries sent military forces to stop the bleeding and got involved in the civil war instead. Remember the US disaster in Mogadishu?  A fine book called, “Black Hawk Down” by Mark Bowden was written telling the story of US special forces being ambushed and killed by Somali gangs.  Along with US forces about 24 other countries contributed 37,000 troops there.  In all, about 150 UN troops were killed.  In one battle, 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush by rival Somali tribes.  What was the result?  Nothing:  500,000 Somalis were killed, and 1.5 Somalis were displaced.  US lost 18 killed and 84 wounded.  Today Somalia is a heaven for Islamic terrorists who continually commit atrocities against their own people.  Have you heard of the terrorist group called Al-Shabaab?  They’re in the news on a regular basis, and not for good.  To this day, no functioning government exists; it’s a lawless place.

 

Sudan.  Sudan, a former British colony, has been in turmoil since independence.  In the last few years, after a brutal civil war, it split into two countries:  Sudan and South Sudan.  There is no effective government in either country and starvation is rampant.  About half of both Sudan and South Sudan’s population is suffering from starvation.  Together there are about 31 million people in these two countries, half suffering terrible food shortages.

 

Mali. Mali has no stable government, and civil war is raging with different warring groups.  France and the United States have sent forces there with no result.  Both are now out.  Russian mercenary Wagner Group forces have been operating there in support of some warring factions.  This turmoil continues to this day.

 

India.  

The British ruled India for 90 years, until 1947.  What happened after independence?  India broke up into India, West and East Pakistan, later becoming Bangladesh.  India and Pakistan have been bitter enemies with atomic weapons ever since.  During the British era there was structure, government, and law and order; after the British left India, chaos ensued with tribes fighting each other, as did the Pakistanis and Indians. Of all the former colonies, India is perhaps the best in achieving a functioning government and a functioning infrastructure.  Pakistan, on the other hand is still plagued with intra-tribal chaos resulting in occasional violence.

 

Haiti.   Haiti has been a total disaster since independence from France in 1804.  To this day, Haiti is a lawless country with roaming gangs ruling the island.  In contrast with its neighbor, the Dominican Republic, Haiti is in constant turmoil.  As of this writing, Haiti has no functioning government, and its people are one of the poorest in the world.  Haiti is currently aided by 400 Kenyan police officers, trying to maintain peace.  If history is any guide, this will eventually fail too.  Between 2010 and 2020 the UN has given Haiti $13 billion dollars, and the problems keep getting worse.  Peacekeepers have been deployed there to no effect.  Of all the former colonies, Haiti would be better off today as a colony.