Imperialist expansionism and the new wars for territory
In his book Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, written a century ago in 1916, Lenin stated that there was no longer a single piece of land on Earth left unclaimed that the de facto division of the world among the ruling powers had been completed. Yes, the world on a territorial basis, had been divided, yet capitalism did not stop; it continued to develop. He argued that the concentration of production and the capitalist system based on greater profit and exploitation required new markets, which in turn made a “redivision” of the world inevitable.
Lenin explains this developmental process of capitalism in his work as follows: “As capitalism develops, the shortage of raw materials makes itself increasingly felt; the conditions of competition become more severe, the search for sources of raw materials all over the world becomes more intense, and the struggle for colonial possession grows increasingly fierce.” Capitalist states intervene in other nations in line with their own interests and in pursuit of new markets.
In the century that has passed, little has changed in the essence of the system. The conditions are precisely as Lenin described a hundred years ago. We are living through a historical moment in which the crisis of the imperialist capitalist system is deepening, expansionist ambitions are resurfacing, and the redivision of the world is accelerating.
American imperialism, seeking to reassert its declining hegemony, is putting all its power on the table under the leadership of Trump in pursuit of a new global redivision. For Trump, the fierce representative of American imperial capital, “America’s interests come first” and these must be secured by force or by consent.
It is precisely for this reason that Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland from Denmark, his ambitions towards Canada, his interest in Ukraine’s rare earth elements and the Panama Canal, all mark the beginning of a new era of territorial wars. Capitalist competition has now reached the point of redividing already divided lands. None of this is surprising—they are all symptoms of the deepening crisis and intensifying competition of the imperialist-capitalist system. Trump’s territorial demands and the trade war he ignited are all inherent to the nature of the capitalist-imperialist system.
INTERNATIONAL LAND GRABS ON THE TABLE
In an article titled “The Coming Age of Territorial Expansion” published on 4 March in Foreign Affairs—one of the prominent publications of the US Council on Foreign Relations—this new war of territorial redivision is described as follows: “From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to US President Donald Trump’s overt interest in seizing Greenland, international land grabs are back on the table. Threats of territorial conquest are becoming a central feature of geopolitics, driven by a new phase of great power competition, rising population pressures, technological change, and perhaps most importantly, a shifting climate.”
Trump openly declared that he would not hesitate to use force, if necessary, to seize Greenland, which belongs to Denmark. He explained the strategic importance of Greenland, an island he vowed to take one way or another in his first speech at the House of Representatives as follows: “We need Greenland for national and international security.” The US’s imperial appetite for Greenland is merely the opening chapter of a new global competition over land.
The contest over Greenland is only the beginning. There are dozens of regions around the world with profiles similar to that of Greenland. Territories such as the Faroe Islands, the Falkland Islands, French Guiana, or New Caledonia are all drawing the attention of major powers. All of these areas could be subjected to a new wave of redivision.
Another key stage for this new land scramble is the polar regions namely the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. As the ice melts, new northern shipping routes are expected to open, making Greenland, the Arctic, and Antarctica invaluable.
To quote from Michael Albertus’ article in Foreign Affairs, while the ice sheet has so far limited the exploration of mineral deposits in Greenland, scientists believe the island may contain significant amounts of iron ore, lead, gold, rare earth elements, uranium, oil, and other valuable resources. Major players such as Canada, Russia, China, India, and the US all have their eyes on the routes connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
AMBITIONS IN ANTARCTICA AND THE ARCTIC
During the Cold War, the major powers signed the Antarctic Treaty, setting aside territorial claims on the continent—but that arrangement is now beginning to unravel. In response to the US’s overt ambitions, China and Russia have also incorporated their interests in Antarctica into their national security strategies. Argentina and Chile have reacted to this shift by voicing their own territorial claims. Israel’s land grabs in Palestine and Syria remain among the most striking examples of territorial occupation. Israel’s expansionism may well extend into southern Lebanon. In Central and West Africa, land disputes and the large-scale land acquisition efforts of multinational corporations openly reflect such ambitions. Rwanda’s backing of the M23 movement in the mineral-rich eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo is driven in part by its interest in the country’s valuable mineral resources.
In short, as resources dwindle and capitalism’s crisis dynamics deepen, imperialist aggression will manifest in ever more violent forms. Competition will intensify the major powers’ drive to acquire new territories. New land conflicts—in Greenland, Central Africa, North America, and the Indo-Pacific—are only a matter of time.
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Emperyalist yayılmacılık ve yeni toprak savaşları, published in BirGün newspaper on April 17, 2025.
