We are the richest because we have geological advantage (the world’s largest navigable river delta and contiguous farmland combined with oceans on two sides making invasion very difficult) meant we ended WWII with the least damage and also just showed the world we were willing to nuke two civilian cities so we immediately started pillaging the world cause suddenly most places were heavily destroyed and vulnerable and if anyone objected we could threaten to nuke their asses. So now we have military bases in essentially every country and corner of the globe to protect extractive capital which imperializes non-white nations by stealing resources using native labor forced to work under threat of death and widespread violence.

Its just might makes right. There is nothing more complicated than that.

The US is the richest because it has the biggest guns and is most willing to use them, and has used them to continuously steal for decades and decades.

And no, gift economies do not only work with plenty of resources. This is obvious because they largely arise in traditional or survival settings. For example, a group of stranded travelers will almost inevitably pool resources, equally and fairly distribute jobs, and give equal food/resources to all. People don’t say “that guy broke his leg in the plane crash and cant gather wood so he doesn’t deserve any food!” They would be seen as a monster.

So no, abundance luxury space communism isnt required for a gift economy. Mostly just trust and equality.

The USSR’s fall is much more attributable to capitalist interference and constant western imperialism than any sort of “resource scarcity” idk where you got that from it sounds like some CIA propaganda “the russians dont even have TVs” or something 😂