everybody wealthy eventually. Proponents counter that the ongoing process of multinational corporations channeling wealth from poorer countries to richer ones dictates that the gap will not diminish. Available data indicates convergence of income for many developing countries. Some economists think that using latest data it is possible to conclude that the world now is in state of unconditional economic convergence. In his book The Ultimate Resource, Julian Simon offers the view that scarcity of physical resources can be overcome by the human mind. For example, the argument of scarcity of oil could be overcome by some of energy development strategies, such as use of synthetic fuels. Modern estimations indicate that mineral shortages will not become a threat for many centuries Concerning exploitation of the former colonies, Gregory Clark notes: "Yet generations of research by economic historians – David Landes, Deirdre McCloskey, and Joel Mokyr, among others – show that the wealth of the West was homegrown, the result of a stream of Western technological advances since the Industrial Revolution." Application to the Russian invasion of Ukraine During Russia's 2022 war with Ukraine, the concept was used by leading Russian politicians to justify Russian policy and accuse the West of elitist colonialism. In May 2022, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council, accused "Anglo-Saxons" of "hiding their actions behind the human rights, freedom and democracy rhetoric," while pushing ahead "with the ‘golden billion’ doctrine, which implies that only select few are entitled to prosperity in this world." In June 2022, speaking at the International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin "reiterated his position that the Kremlin was 'forced' to initiate the invasion of Ukraine [...] 'Our colleagues do not simply deny reality,' Putin added. 'They are trying to resist the course of history. They think in terms of the last century. They are in captivity of their own delusions about countries outside of the so-called golden billion, they see everything else as the periphery, their backyard, they treat these places as their colonies, and they treat the peoples living there as second-class citizens, because they consider themselves to be exceptional.'” See also First World Capitalism Globalization New World Order Free trade Gapminder North–South divide Georgia Guidestones Earth Summit References Global inequality 1990 neologisms 1990 establishments in Russia Imperialism studies World systems theory