Of course there is a difference in power between rich and poor countries. Any country has more ability to do things if it has more economic resources than another country. But the important question is: How do countries get to be rich or poor? Did the rich countries get their wealth by stealing it from the poor countries or was new wealth created in the rich countries but not in the poor countries.

If we go back 200+ years, everyone was poor. The mercantilists at the time really saw wealth as a zero sum game. They mistakenly saw wealth as being gold and silver. With the supply of precious metals limited and ultimately finite, it is no surprise that people normally saw one nation’s loss as another nation's gain. After all, at that period of time, wealth creation proceeded very slowly. A person would not see much of a change in lifestyle throughout their own lifetime.

In fact there are many examples of one country taking the wealth of another country by force, just as some people steal from other people. Countries often fought wars for plunder and tribute. But, I don't think that anyone seriously doubts that there is much more wealth in the world today than there was 200 years ago, or that this increase in wealth exceeds the increase in the amount of gold and silver mined over the last 200 years. So, if wealth is a zero-sum game, where is all of this new wealth coming from? The answer must be that we are creating new wealth, which is independent of gold, silver or any other natural resources. The dramatic increase of wealth, particularly in the developing world is far, far too great to be explained by the old mercantilist way of thinking. In fact, the things that we now tend to value most are products of the mind, like the computer that you are using to read this post. The value of the natural resources in your computer is very small. Most of the value of your computer comes from the application of the human mind to those natural resources. Even the materials in your computer themselves only became useful because someone figured out how to transform them from their natural state into forms that could be used.

So, there must be differences that cause this wealth to be created and accumulate at a rapid rate in some countries while other countries remain static. In fact, there are many countries that were very poor a few decades ago, which are today wealthy, having figured this out how to become wealthy countries.  

If you like twin studies in medicine or psychology, you will love the twin study that has been conducted in economics since the end of WWII. Look at that dramatic case of the Koreas. If anything, at the end of WWII, the North had the economic advantage. It was the industrial center of Korea. Then came the Korean War, which ensured that both countries remained poor. However, with the end of the Korean War, things began to change. The South began to grow, while the North remained stagnant. In addition to the dramatic economic changes the South became democratic, while the North remained a totalitarian state. The glaring difference between the two Korea, which were so similar 60 years ago, is startling at night. Looking down from space, this is what your see.

  

The shining, sparkling gem of South Korea is set against the dark backdrop of the North. So, what caused this dramatic difference?