Conference on Modern colonialism. Realities and alternatives" took place in the Union of Bulgarian Journalists.
It was organized by the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, the Union of Officers and Sergeants of the Reserve, the National safety Association, the Bulgarian National Peace Committee, and the Civic People's Front Association. The president of the Executive Council of ZDB took part in the discussion Todorova snow, Zornica IliewaProfessor Nina DiulgerovaColonel Retired Chawdar PetrovGeneral Retired Zlatan StojkovProf. Dr Mikhail Mirchev, Rumen PetkowProfessor Nako Stefanov, Adrian Asenov And others.
Europe Under the Shoe of America
"Different historians claim that modern colonialism, although not expressed in direct territorial conquest, inactive exists in various forms. Manifested by economic, cultural and political dominance, frequently in the form of neocolonialism, where more powerful states keep influence on erstwhile colonies or another countries without direct management” “At the beginning of the conference, the president of the Executive Council of ZDB, Mr Todorov, said.
"The war in Ukraine, for which the nations now pay a advanced social price, is the consequence of a short-sighted policy of the ruling European elite and their inability to make a imagination of independence, a liberated Europe on the American dependency, which unfortunately determined our continent for decades" – added Todorova.
Cultural Hegemony
Zornica Iliewa, a writer and global analyst, besides took part in the conference, focusing her study on cultural colonialism. "Most recently, many claim that the legacy of colonialism inactive exists, transforming into neocolonialism. This is simply a script where developed countries have a crucial impact on the little developed nations, which may have already declared independence. Therefore, prominent analysts, mainly from the West, claim that the neocolonial nature of modern Atlantic expansion and unfair actions, as they are described, of the West, lead not only to subjugating another countries. These countries simply lose their sovereignty and become hostages of individual else’s will” said Iliewa.
Her speech focused on cultural colonialism: "Cultural colonism frequently remains a force even after independency by the colony. British colonialism in India is simply a eloquent example. In this sense, the practice of dividing countries into developed and developing countries helps. Developing countries are portrayed not only as poorer and behind but besides with a lower spiritual and cultural status. In the meantime, facts are observed, especially recently, that developed countries besides have interior problems. Attempts to resolve them at the expense of developing countries are not always successful; on the contrary, they encourage the second to defend their rights and search ways to preserve their traditions, levels, economical improvement and independent abroad policy. In the early 21st century, dominant culture usually practices cultural colonialism through economical expansion, encouraging the local population to desire the goods offered by the colonizing culture. In this way, values and preservation of colonizing culture are imitated. In this context, Europe is giving up the US's priority, and in many countries, including ours, preferences towards American cultural and material products, specified as music and films, gradually displace preferences towards local products".
Exploited and exploited
Zornica Iliewa added: "West scholars say global models of economical growth and improvement stay akin to the political hierarchy established in colonial times. However, in the modern world, there is clearly an explanation of the objectives as sustainable development, where the problems of increasing social and economical inequality in all directions are obscured – between countries, between ruling and average citizens, between classes – creating yet space for overthrowing uncomfortable governments, people and full sovereign nations. (...) It is crucial for us to draw attention to east Europe, which in 1990. was transformed according to the pattern of Western powers, liable for the heaviest colonial atrocities in the past of the world, whose modern prosperity stems from their colonial and postcolonial exploitation history" She added.
"However, even erstwhile east Europe struggled with poverty, a strengthened policy imposed after 1989 by Western institutions and governments, the geography of global inequality abruptly became irrelevant. For east Europe was to become the West. poorness was to be temporary and not to be linked to permanent structural inequalities that plague the planet system. The only problem was that east European countries were mistakenly and unfairly placed in the mediocre part of the global divide, and it was time to take their place among the rich. In the dominant discourse, it was not taken into account at all that entering the West could have meant either joining it as co-participants in the postcolonial exploitation system, or as colonies.” – commented Iliewa.
Periphery
"There remains the feeling that in east Europe formal independency frequently serves as a cover for the ongoing deliberate and systematic economical dependence, in the form of the transfer of natural resources from the periphery to the centre. due to the fact that no 1 doubts that east European countries are periphery. I presume you're convinced of that, too. In peculiar Bulgaria’ She added.
"The countries of the east Europe region, including Bulgaria, are able to build their identity, with an inheritance from which they are arrogant or burdened, and to fight inferiority in the process of systemic transformation and access to the European community, specified as started in 1990. due to the fact that present the situation is different and unpredictable. This depends on where Western Europe is heading, how the EU will last under current geopolitical conditions. Colonial habits are hard to reconcile with wars in Ukraine and the mediate East. Meanwhile, Russian initiatives aimed at moving towards common improvement for all are not located – at least at this phase – in leading Western countries. ‘We will wait until they are wise,’ said Lavrow. – concluded her speech by Zornica Iliewa.
The assassination of Orthodoxy
Chairman of the National safety Association, Colonel at Retired Clawdar Petrov, stated: "Safety Association was founded more than 30 years ago. 1 of the reasons for its emergence was to support the public, people and state in uncovering Bulgaria's national interests. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find our national interest in 30 years. As a country we have come to the point where we have actually become a colonial state, doing only what Washington and Brussels are ordering us to do, now more Brussels".
Petrov added: "Bulgaria has tried respective times to make its doctrine and national safety strategy. Unfortunately, specified strategies were written, but no were implemented. I will say in 2016 another national strategy has been developed, which states that South Stream was number 1 precedence for Bulgaria. With even more regret, the following year, as we all remember, an American delegation with 2 senators arrived, and abruptly ‘South Stream’ not only ceased to be a precedence of the state, but it happened that whoever was South Stream was considered an enemy of the state’. The president of the National safety Association stated: "In my opinion, and in my opinion, my colleagues are expecting another blow or assassination – on Orthodoxy. As an Orthodox state and as 1 of the bastions of Orthodoxy, we are subject to very serious pressure. You can see that even any Members have begun to request that the Bulgarian Patriarch be handed over to the prosecutor for the fact that in practice we stay Orthodox. As a society, we must find the strength to defy specified actions, due to the fact that Bulgaria has been Orthodox for centuries, and if we now let Orthodoxy to be erased, we will – I will say it with large difficulty – the gravediggers of Bulgarian history”.
A Europe without dignity
Rumen Petkow, erstwhile Home Secretary, presently president of the alternate organization for the Bulgarian Revival, responded to Clawdar Petrov and added: "I'll start with what Colonel Clawdar Petrov said; I don't know how much we realize it – an assassination on Orthodoxy and an effort to destruct it. It's not the problem that arose yesterday. In 1990, the mentioned Zbigniew Brzeziński He said, ‘We are done with communism, now we must take up Orthodoxy’. Remember the split, the intervention in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. A period ago, I was in Moscow on a very serious forum, organized by the Russian Orthodox Church, with the participation of NGOs, where I heard a shocking study about the divided and blows in Orthodoxy, including the modern, current blow on Kosovo. And we, somehow, as Orthodox, do not pay attention to these matters.” – Petkow commented.
He besides gave examples of Moldova and Armenia and attacks on Orthodoxy, and said about Ukraine: “There the pogrom of Orthodoxy is more than a fact. With arrests, looting holiness and taking over the monastery’. Rumen Petkov besides pointed out the humiliating letter from NATO's secretary-general to the US President: "We are talking about neocolonialism and modern colonization. We have a clear example of Europe's negligibleness – a letter Mark Rutte au Donald Trumpwhich, unfortunately, no government in Europe has reacted to. ‘The top success, dear Donald, is that we forced them to make 5% of the budget go for reinforcements’. He writes it to him, and Donald Trump, to his glory—or by saying something else about him—is publishing a letter. any media have reacted in Italy, France, Germany, and that is it. But it is simply a humiliation for the associate States. A large insult, or alternatively a confirmation that we have no resistance. We've lost our dignity. We have no desire to prosecute independent politics. Here is the question: is Europe able and participating in global political, economic, social and cultural processes? Is Europe a colonial, geographical, territorial tool of the United States?".
The request for Resistance
Journalist Prof. Petko Todorow besides attended the conference. He pointed out that if he expressed his individual opinion, he would be accused of rusophilia and “putinism”, so he decided to ask artificial intelligence for signs of neocolonialism towards Bulgaria. He read 7 points presented by the neural network and its conclusion: "Bulgaria does not have formal colonial status, but many dependencies – economic, political, cultural and military – give serious grounds for parallels with a neocolonial governance model. The country is part of global structures – EU, NATO – but its real sovereignty is limited by external interests". Prof. Todorow stated that this is what should be opposed.
Smiling colonialism
Adrian Asenov, a typical of the “Rebirth” organization from Sofia, besides attended the conference. He identified the EU as a tool for neocolonialism. “All the conversations they say – ‘Well, you see, those in Brussels, if they realize what is happening here, if they realize how bad our rulers are, they will do something’... I'm sorry, but they are the ones who plan the ruling ones.” – Asenov commented. About the Bulgarian political elite he said: "One colonial clique, without naming names – we all know them – which is bribed like Indian councilmen with petty bribes, with the anticipation of stealing from this or another project, or legal corruption. They are bribed and in practice plan and implement a colonial model in Bulgaria”.
He added that “The EU is nothing more, it is not humanitarian, it is not good and beautiful; it is simply a fresh form of neocolonial expansion. De facto – old colonialism, but in fresh robes, more smiling, which goes hand in hand with propaganda”.
The place of Bulgaria is in Eurasia
Prof. Mikhail Mirczew, a sociologist and political scientist, described the function of the United Kingdom and the signs of its falling influence, stating that Bulgaria's place is among another geopolitical partners: "A fewer days ago in 1 program I said – the place of Bulgaria is in Eurasia, in the fresh Eurasia, however, not in the old Eurasia, nor in the erstwhile Eurasia. Eurasia + China. That is why they now welcome us into the euro area to make another financial, administrative and legal barrier to make it harder to separate from them and leave... That's the rush. Not so much due to the fact that they bargain 20 tons of gold and 80% of our currency reserves, etc., to prevent us from moving again. Hence this haste’.
During the conference, the president of the Executive Council of ZDB, Mr Todorova, read the appeal to the public and political parties on behalf of the participants. It states that "The Republic of Bulgaria, while respecting the global agreements signed, can and should fight to defend its national interests and national sovereignty. The repetition of imposed mantras and blind submission to decisions imposed from the outside transforms our country into a neocolonia that has lost its sovereignty and the right to vote. In a changing world, the division of countries into developed and developing countries seems to be controversial, especially in view of the many interior problems of developed countries. The interpretations of the SDGs do not correspond to the problems of increasing socio-economic inequality in the world. An open demonstration of a ‘right stronger’ policy in global relations, a continuation of neo-colonial expansion and subordination of another countries are phenomena that can be resisted by defining our national objectives and priorities, in dialog between experts, society and political circles. We would like today's discussion to continue, whether in the form of a forum or to make another wide format in search of solutions for the actual defence of Bulgaria's national interest, alternatively than hiding behind the learned phrases and mantras imposed from outside”.
Tedi Angelova
