[Reporter’s Notebook] Survival Strategies Against Neo-Imperialism

"American imperialism has returned."
The French daily Le Monde argued in an editorial last month, published right after the United States struck Venezuela, that imperialism is making a comeback as great powers once again dominate weaker states by force. Similar commentary poured out from media outlets in China and elsewhere. International law, which at least nominally existed after the Cold War, has been buried under the logic of power. Europe had already warned of the return of imperialism when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The global clock first seemed to turn back to the Cold War, and now it has been wound all the way back to the 19th century.
Even in the turbulent 19th century, some small and weak states survived, unlike Joseon. Thailand is a prime example. Wedged between the advancing United Kingdom to the northwest and south and France pushing in from the east, Thailand ceded half of its territory—land larger than the Korean Peninsula—to the two powers between 1885 and 1909. At the same time, it positioned itself as a "buffer zone" between them. Giving up concessions to avoid unwinnable wars was a path followed by Joseon and many other countries that ultimately became colonies. Thailand, however, did not rely on the mercy of the great powers; it acted proactively. King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Rama V), who had traveled abroad from his teenage years to broaden his horizons, embarked on a European tour in 1897. He visited the Russian Empire, the United Kingdom’s greatest rival, and the German Empire, France’s arch-enemy, to discuss cooperation directly with their emperors. This helped redirect British and French attention back to their main adversaries instead of wasting strength on Asia’s periphery. It was also a desperate effort to retain the initiative in diplomacy, even while making concessions. By accelerating modernization and even joining the Allied Forces in World War I in 1917—a conflict that had little to do with its own interests—Thailand strove to be recognized as an equal partner by the Western powers.
Of course, peace is not preserved by words alone. Ethiopia, another country that avoided colonization, faced mounting pressure from the great powers and responded by modernizing and purchasing large quantities of modern European weapons to build up its army. In the Battle of Adwa in 1896, Ethiopia used European arms to decisively defeat the Italian expeditionary force, sending a clear warning message to the imperial powers.
U.S. allies, including South Korea, are now wracking their brains as they face a second Donald Trump administration. The international order they had long taken for granted has been shaken for more than a decade, raising doubts about whether old documents and treaties still carry any real weight. At times like this, the lessons of history must not be forgotten. Countries need to move more assertively so they are not excluded from the deals struck by great powers, and they must build real capabilities so they become important states that cannot be ignored politically, economically, or militarily. What "bargaining chips" can we put on the table for Donald Trump, a man who shows little interest in dusty promises?
pjw@fnnews.com Reporter