HIKMA SUMMIT
OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

HOW CAN IMPERIALISM BE SOFT?

Before 1898, the governments of the “New World” had always defended their intention to focus just on the internal administration of their territories, arguing that it would have been unsafe to expand out of borders. This was mainly due to the harsh social conditions that had characterized the previous century, a brutal period in which the Civil War (1861-1865) and anchored enslavement had vanished the “common sense” claimed by Thomas Paine in 1776.

Considering the ongoing expansion of the great world powers (also stating that isolationism would no longer be worthwhile) the United States began to look at the Pacific Ocean, still mostly unexplored and in the eye of the late 19th century political storm. After kicking out the Spanish from the Philippines (Hispano-American War of 1898), the US found in the region an extraordinary opportunity to expand its influence, culminating in the annexation of the Hawaii atoll which, as it’s known, then became a Federate State in 1959.

Despite the heavy costs of maintaining an overseas territory, and in contrast with the historical isolationist policy posture, president McKinley first realized that the US could have exported democracy and civilization even without the ambition to conquer. As a result, Americans found themselves united again by the ambition to pursue a new common goal, a social outlet to project abroad all the tensions that had weakened the country from inside.

This moment marked the beginning of the United States’ architecturing of a soft-imperialist geopolitical projection in the Pacific Ocean, moved by the fierceness of having revitalized the social contract and sense of community that was first brought by the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620.

“A day that will remain in infamy”: with these words, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt commented on the Japanese surprise attack on the American naval base of Pearl Harbour, on December 7th 1941. A speech renowned for having inspired the US to “go and save the world” is now hardly criticised by the international community as the perfect masquerade of US exceptionalism: that day, according to some, the world started realizing that the United States had longly “hidden their empire” (The Guardian, 2019).

IS AN OVERSEAS MILITARY BASE WORTH CONSIDERING A COLONY?

Under Chapter XI of the Charter of the United Nations, the Non-Self-Governing Territories are defined as “territories whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self government”.

Guam represents the most crucial US military base in the Pacific and, as of 2026, the international law doesn’t yet accord its full consideration as an “autonomous country”, and the reason behind this is related to the financial and logistical support they still need from the American mainland.

The Organic Act of 1950 officially recognized Guam the status of “non-incorporated territory” of the United States, but some geopolitical analysts still believe that the island was never considered as a proper “state” because it barely has geographical independence and doesn’t neither boast an ancestral culture nor possesses the resources to claim further interest in the international panorama.

According to a saying, Guam is the point “Where America’s day begins” because it is the westernmost outpost of the United States: it constitutes a strategic pole because the US Navy uses it as a reconnaissance hub and as a barrier to protect from menaces originating in the Ocean, mostly related to China’s naval manoeuvres. In other words, Guam helps the White House prevent potential aggressions on the continental United States, focusing on anticipating their occurrence by implementing cutting-edge security measures.

It seems like the United States has taken advantage of proven tactics from their isolationist mentality in an overseas territory: Guam allows Washington to exercise a direct control over the Pacific region without being entirely committed in it, because the bases that were installed in the island just serve as a stronghold were to train the military and experiment new war techniques. Even by claiming peace, the United States appears to secretly use Guam and the other territories of the Pacific as military colonies: some experts believe that defending the island with jealousy will be a monumental asset for the US in case of conflict, allowing them to have a strategic advantage over most of the international powers.

COST-OPPORTUNITY OF HOLDING A STRIP OF LAND IN THE OCEAN

Guam is commonly considered as “The tip of the spare” (Council on Foreign Relations) of United States’ geopolitics due to its importance and the margins of development it offers to the White House. The Pacific is probably the most turbulent coastal area of the world, a complete naval and political chaos that risks to expand its confusion even over the powers’ mainland. The path to a complete stabilization of the region is probably unachievable, considering how uncertain international relations and strategic ties between the US and China are.

On one hand, due to their “diamond” in the Pacific (being Guam), the US can control and give logistical support to its allies nearby, such as the Republic of China (also known as Taiwan) or South Korea, which struggle to protect their borders from external threats.

On the other hand, possessing a strip of land in the ocean means having to deal also with its internal troubles, such as the decrease of population that have been registered in Guam during the last decade: an on-site research conducted by the UN demonstrated that a lot of people still leave under the poverty line, and this is probably the main reason why people have started to migrate abroad and stopped reproducing. As someone would argue, a lower population could allow the island to better distribute its resources and allocate more job opportunities, but it is not that easy: the US have in Guam their best opportunity to demonstrate that the American civilization process keeps on fueling people’s aspirations and that is adequate to fulfil people’s needs, something that is still not consecrated on the island.

As it appears obvious, a lowering population doesn’t bode well for an American overseas territory’s reputation, so that Washington has started a lowkey analysis of the rooting causes of this problem, hoping to rebalance the prospects of a prosperous life in Guam with the strategic and economical needs of the White House.

WHY DOES GUAM REALLY MATTERS

The international security environment is rapidly changing, and the United States’ strategic “queen” could be embodied by Guam: such a tiny, forgotten island in the Pacific Ocean is yet to become a vital hub to keep on demonstrating the effectiveness of the American Constitution’s principles abroad.

Some call it geopolitics, some call it colonialism: what is mostly true is that, in the international relations, resources and retaliation ability are the most crucial assets for a big power; no matter which US President will have to cope with the management of the island, the American institutions will probably always try to get on the bandwagon, and claiming the possession of those territories could be used as their ace in the hole.