2). The process of Imperialism and Colonialism played a role in the establishment of a "European identity". To what extent are we witnessing this phenomenon being played out in other parts of the world today?
Colonialism is the expansion of a nation’s control over territory beyond its borders by establishing settler colonies in which indigenous populations are directly ruled or displaced. These colonizing nations generally dominate resources, labor, and markets of the colonial territory. The idea behind this is basically a system of direct political, financial and cultural interference by a powerful country in a weaker one. The idea of colonialism is often based on the belief of ethnocentrism, or the belief that the ethics and ideals of the colonizer are superior to those being colonized. These days, colonialism takes on a different form, whereby countries do not establish 'settlers' in a foreign land, but use global businesses to introduce ideas and products to foreigners. Globalization is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. Once the foreigners get a feel of the superior product, they're influenced that the country in which the product was manufactured in superior to their own. All around the world you're likely to see a McDonald's or a Starbucks cafe, whether you go to Sweden or Pakistan. Given the vast resources that these companies can bring anywhere in the world, foreigners eventually change their perception and start to become more Americanized.
Imperialism is when a country extends its power and influence through diplomacy or military force. In the early 2000's, the United States invaded Iraq with the promise of bringing democracy to that region of the world. Of course, that was the idea that they tried selling to the American people even though it was more a geopolitical war. Iraq, at the time, was dictated by their president Saddam Hussein, and prior to him were Kings that ruled over the people. Therefore, no Iraqi baby boomer, or people of older generations knew what it was like to 'vote' for their preferred party member - this idea was foreign to everyone in the country. After Saddam had been displaced, chaos erupted in Iraq, and the democracy they had been introduced to post-Saddam fell apart, eventually leading to the rise of ISIS in Northern Iraq. More recently, after Nicolas Maduro was elected as the president of Venezuela recently, the United States (and several other countries) refuse to recognize him as president even though he was elected by the people. As a result, those who oppose him Maduro now have a ground to stand on to overthrow him.