According to mainstream belief, colonialism ended approximately in the 18^th to 19^th century, around the time slavery became illegal. This suggests that slavery is an inherent component of colonialism, which is perhaps true of colonialism of this era, however I here argue that colonialism and its legacy is more continuous than the history books might suggest, and that in the 21^st century, we are witnessing the expansion of colonialism into a new dimension, from countries within earth to relations between earth and the moon, as similar patterns of previous geopolitical expansion transcend beyond borders into space, illustrating the longevity of the space race, which similarly did not end post-cold war, when the history books suggest, thus showing how colonialism has certainly not ended, and doesn’t seem to be declining at all.

Firstly, I will describe how previous colonial patterns are mirroring those of the present day. Traditional colonialism saw the rise of wealthy countries with advanced economies develop methods and equipment by which they could travel to other countries, exploit the inhabitants, and reap the rewards. The modern day space race illustrates this same pattern, as similarly wealthy countries (whose global standing has been improved by and enhanced by colonialism and its aftermath) have developed, and are developing technology to travel to space, where resources are similarly exploited (minerals such as silicon and titanium are stolen), to later use on earth (often for new technocratic innovations), as our finite resources are diminishing, showing how we thus continue to reap the rewards that do not necessarily belong to us.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, this is not problematic because we are merely using resources that exist, and those who develop the means of reaching them first ought to have a right to them, right? Sure, but what about when they run out, like they have on earth. Our current ‘tragedy of the commons’ shows us this exactly. This tragedy refers to the idea that our common resources such as the sea are being overused and exploited, due to our extractivist nature. Perhaps the vulnerability of these neutral spaces means they are susceptible to the exploitation of those who assume superiority over them. This then leaves us without the resources that are necessary to survive in the modern day, posing a threat to humanity, as we are arguably taking more than we ought to, demonstrating how this colonial expansion is an unambiguous threat, as it merely appears as a short-lived aid to the problem (lack of resources), rather than a solution.

What is being done? UN frameworks exist, and they are better than nothing, however they are not as effective as they could be. Firstly, they are outdated. Most treaties for regulation of space were developed in the 1960s around the time of the Cold War space race. This might have worked at the time, but decades later, it simply doesn’t butter the parsnips anymore. Furthermore, international agreements are based on liberal rules-based orders and rely on the good will of others (which we can be sceptical of given our previous colonial reputation and consistent defiance of international law). This means that they are often unenforceable and non-binding, under what realists describe as our international anarchy, which suggests there is no high authority to regulate state actions, given that we don’t have a global government. So, what we have is frankly not good enough to regulate state actions, which are also out of the public eye and kept private from public discourse, thus the solution is difficult, but for now we need contemporary, binding solutions, as they will make a difference, more so than our current initiatives.  

Perhaps the disregulation of the international community of this matter is due to the distance it appears from us. In both the geographical distance (in that space is further away so we feel less concerned due to less exposure to the cause); and also, in the distance of where the matter sits epistemologically to us, as it’s seems to be a theoretical mystery that most are unaware of and unconcerned by due to its separation from public discourse, suggesting that the issue of modern day colonialism is perhaps more of a metaphysical issue than a practical problem for many of us.

Overall, it can be seen that this unregulated expansion is inherently driven on the same exploitative patterns that we are familiar with from the 16-19^th century, as this conflict has not ended, but merely has reached new realms. Our current economic conditions only encourage and perpetuate the problem, as we must have if we want to succeed in this competitive world order. So there seems not to be an immediate, tangible solution to the problem, or much demand for a solution, and thus it is difficult to say what could happen in the future. Perhaps planets themselves will be commodified and given a price tag, which doesn’t necessarily seem impossible given the trajectory of our developments in technological capabilities.