I think you're slightly confused about the kind of racism being discussed. You rightly point out that there has been tremendous exploitation of (for instance)

I think you're slightly confused about the kind of racism being discussed. You rightly point out that there has been tremendous exploitation of (for instance) Africa by Europe, and that a lot of this exploitation has been justified by racism. But separately from that, consider the question: why were Europeans able to do this to Africans in the first place? If you asked question back in the Nazi regime, you'd probably get answers like, "Europeans are somehow inherently racially superior to Africans, and this superiority allowed them to become dominant." Guns, Germs, and Steel lays out a different and detailed explanation. The author is quite aware of this history of racist explanations. He provides a competing theory, backed by considerable research and evidence. I found it quite good, but also very dry. :)