It's difficult to pull apart Correlation vs causation. For example, European colonizers choose to colonize countries that they saw as economically valuable. Ind

It's difficult to pull apart Correlation vs causation. For example, European colonizers choose to colonize countries that they saw as economically valuable. India was very rich in gold and farm land pre-colonization, and the Europeans knew it. That's why it was the jewel of the British Empire. Ethiopia was ignored by Britain and France because it was perceived to be dryer and poorer. Some of the post-colonial success is tied to intrinsic value of the land itself.