The national borders of Africa were drawn up in the power centres of Europe. European imperialism absolutely trashed Africa and major to the success of that process was dividing Africa up into 'nation states' composed of entirely incompatible racial/cultural groups. This enabled Europe to divide and rule and continues to this day. In Latin America the native cultures were brutally murdered and subjugated for their land, produce gold and silver. S.E. Asia was mostly carved up into European possessions with few areas escaping complete subjugation. Japans complete humiliation not occurring until 1945. China being humiliated much earlier in 1840. Thailand escaped outright capture by ceding more than half its territory and eventually serving as a neutral buffer state between British Burma and French Cambodia/Laos.
Australia, New Zealand and Canada simply seized the land of native peoples and eventually became tribute states to the current global hegemon, USA, serving its 5 eyes surveillance/military and banking networks which are purposed to this day in continuing its global resource hegemony. The Wests relative wealth and privilege is absolutely based upon the subjugation of other territories and this continues. While leadership in technology has been important, it is not the sole factor in creating the relative wealth of The West. There is no way the simplistic notion of free markets and enterprise can be isolated from the crucial and overriding factor of nation state military, resource, institutional and protocol capture and control.