Pump Modern Colonization

»Review«

“Pump Modern Colonization” represents history repeating itself. Karl Marx once said that history always repeats itself twice—first as tragedy, then as farce. I would argue the second time around is both farce and tragedy. “Pump” is a portmanteau combining the first two letters of Putin with the last two letters of Trump. Whether in Russia’s dictatorship or America’s illiberal democracy, it appears that colonialism is experiencing a renaissance. Self-aggrandizing, megalomaniacal heads of state believe they can annex territories, resources, and influence at the expense of others. Whether through military aggression or through purchase under threat of force and punitive tariffs against opponents—I see no difference. And it’s not just the heads of state themselves…
The most frightening and heartbreaking aspect of all this is watching a country like the United States of America—a nation that sees itself as the very embodiment of democracy and freedom—drift ever further from those founding principles.