Internationalization of Capital, Class, and State: Collective Imperialism

This article explores the concept of collective imperialism, a contemporary form of imperialism characterized by the internationalization of capital and the capitalist class, accompanied by the collaboration of capitalist nation-states in the interests of the internationalized capitalist class. ​ ​After the post-WWII destruction of Western economies and the emergence of newly industrialized countries, US-based capital flowed into the national economies of relevant nation-states and gained representation within their state apparatuses. Thus, capital and state are linked to the activities of the now internationalized capital. The internationalization of capital and the state took concrete form through international organizations such as NATO, the WTO, and the IMF. The collective effect of internationalized class interests, forces capital groups and states to act under the emerged international capitalist class. This tendency enforces the collaboration among Western capitalist states, the suppression of nation-states and national fractions of the capitalist class, and, in some instances, the harming of certain entities on behalf of the collective interests of the international capitalist class. ​ Those implications of collective imperialism for global power dynamics, class interests, and the international division of labor are analyzed, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift in understanding contemporary imperialism.