Imperialist Priorities: Border Militarization Abroad and Domestic Neglect While Myanmar Turns to Chinese Solar for Survival

Introduction: A Tale of Two Crises

The juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate geopolitical developments reveals a disturbing pattern of imperialist priorities that systematically undermine human dignity and development in the Global South. On one hand, the United States government under President Donald Trump has dramatically expanded its immigration enforcement apparatus while decimating essential domestic services. On the other, Myanmar—crushed by Western sanctions following the 2021 military coup—faces an unprecedented energy collapse, forcing its people to turn to Chinese solar technology as a literal lifeline. These parallel narratives expose the brutal logic of neo-colonialism: fortify borders while destroying nations, and punish those who resist Western hegemony.

The American Contradiction: Militarization Over Human Needs

According to top personnel official Scott Kupor, the U.S. federal government added approximately 50,000 new employees since President Trump took office, with the majority funneled into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other national security roles. This expansion occurred alongside a ruthless downsizing of the federal workforce that eliminated roughly 300,000 positions through dismissals, hiring freezes, and buyout offers. Essential services including weather forecasting, food safety, health programs, and space research suffered devastating cuts, while enforcement agencies received unprecedented resources.

The administration’s priorities became painfully clear under the leadership of Elon Musk, appointed by Trump to spearhead federal downsizing. The systematic dismantling of civil services—from tax collection to civil rights enforcement—demonstrates a conscious choice to prioritize border militarization over citizen welfare. This reallocation reflects not just political preference but an ideological commitment to enforcement-heavy governance that mirrors imperialist approaches to international relations.

Myanmar’s Energy Collapse: The Human Cost of Sanctions

Meanwhile, halfway across the world, Myanmar’s electricity system has deteriorated to 2015 levels since the 2021 military coup and ongoing civil war. Chronic blackouts, collapsing infrastructure, and a government crippled by sanctions have created a humanitarian catastrophe where households, hospitals, and small businesses struggle for basic electricity. The situation worsened when Thailand cut cross-border power to restrict scam networks, inadvertently punishing the wider population.

Traditional fuel supplies, particularly natural gas, have dwindled dramatically, and the junta has halted LNG imports due to foreign-exchange shortages caused by Western sanctions. The collapse is multidimensional: natural gas shortages, sanctions restricting spare parts and expertise, civil war damage to transmission lines, and economic decline have converged to create one of the most severe energy crises in modern Southeast Asian history.

Solar Revolution: Innovation Born of Necessity

In this desperate context, solar power has emerged not as an environmental choice but as a survival mechanism. Chinese exports of solar panels to Myanmar more than doubled to $100 million this year, representing an eightfold increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. Household installations jumped from a few hundred in 2019 to approximately 300,000 in 2025, with analysts predicting solar could soon supply 2–2.5 million households.

The economics are undeniable: a solar-battery-inverter combination now costs under $1,000—far cheaper than diesel generators that require $50–$100 weekly in fuel. Shops, clinics, schools, restaurants, and even ice-cream sellers now rely on small solar systems to power lighting, refrigeration, and electronic payments. This grassroots energy transition, driven purely by necessity, represents a profound adaptation to circumstances created by external pressure.

The Imperialist Logic: A Critical Analysis

The parallel developments in the United States and Myanmar expose the fundamental hypocrisy of Western foreign policy. While the U.S. prioritizes border enforcement over domestic welfare, it simultaneously imposes sanctions that destroy essential infrastructure in nations that resist Western dominance. The suffering in Myanmar is not an unfortunate side effect but a calculated outcome of policies designed to punish sovereignty and independence.

Western sanctions, ostensibly implemented for humanitarian reasons, have instead created conditions where hospitals cannot function, businesses collapse, and ordinary citizens suffer. The energy crisis in Myanmar demonstrates how sanctions weaponize basic human needs, forcing populations into survival mode while Western powers lecture about democracy and human rights. This is neo-colonialism in its purest form: the use of economic warfare to maintain control over nations asserting their independence.

China’s Role: Partnership Versus Punishment

The surge in Chinese solar exports to Myanmar highlights the contrasting approaches to international relations between Eastern and Western powers. While Western nations impose punishing sanctions, China provides affordable technology that enables survival and adaptation. This is not about benevolence but about recognizing that sustainable partnerships benefit all parties involved, unlike the extractive relationships favored by colonial powers.

China’s role in Myanmar’s energy adaptation demonstrates how South-South cooperation can provide practical solutions where Western approaches offer only punishment. The solar revolution in Myanmar is not just about technology transfer; it’s about solidarity among nations that understand the realities of development under imperialist pressure.

The Human Dimension: Energy as a Basic Right

Behind the statistics lie human stories of resilience and suffering. Families choosing between food and electricity, hospitals operating with intermittent power, children studying by solar light—these are the real consequences of geopolitical games played by distant powers. The energy crisis in Myanmar reveals how easily basic human rights become collateral damage in larger political conflicts.

The turn to solar power represents more than technological adaptation; it symbolizes the indomitable human spirit that finds ways to survive even when powerful nations attempt to crush resistance. This grassroots movement demonstrates that people will always find solutions to meet their basic needs, regardless of the obstacles placed before them by imperial powers.

Conclusion: A New Paradigm of Resistance

The contrasting narratives of U.S. border militarization and Myanmar’s solar adaptation reveal the urgent need for a new international order based on cooperation rather than coercion. The Global South must continue to develop alternative systems that bypass Western-dominated institutions and create spaces for genuine partnership and development.

Myanmar’s energy crisis and creative response should serve as a wake-up call to all nations struggling under the weight of neo-colonial policies. The future belongs to those who can adapt, innovate, and cooperate outside the constraints of imperial domination. As solar panels light up homes in darkness created by Western sanctions, they also illuminate a path forward—one where human dignity triumphs over geopolitical manipulation, and where the Global South writes its own destiny free from imperial control.